During his lone season at Penn State in 2022-23, guard Camren Wynter made occasional jokes to then-assistant coach Adam Fisher about joining his staff one day. Wynter didn’t know it, but Fisher took those remarks seriously.
Penn State’s 2023 season ended with an NCAA Tournament loss to Texas on March 18, and Fisher departed Happy Valley for North Broad Street to succeed Aaron McKie as Temple’s head coach. Meanwhile, Wynter was stuck deciding his future.
“After the season, it took me like a month to figure out what I really wanted to do,” Wynter said. “I knew I always wanted to go into coaching at some point. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try to go to the G League or go overseas.”
Fisher filled out his staff by dipping into his history and bringing on assistant Michael Huger, who coached with him at Miami, while also adding Bobby Jordan and retaining Chris Clark, but he had one more hire in mind. Fisher offered Wynter a spot on his staff, but hoped Wynter would decline so he could continue his playing career for as long as possible.
“I tried to talk him out of coaching when he first came up,” Fisher said. “I wanted him to go play – he had opportunities, so I wouldn’t even let him take the job. I spoke to his mom and dad. I remember he went home and went, ‘I want to coach, I want to coach.’ We had a strong connection; he’s someone that I thought was going to be a great coach. But in reality, I wanted him to go play.”
Wynter refused to turn down the opportunity to coach. He decided to pursue his passion and joined Temple’s staff as Fisher’s special assistant.
After making history on the hardwood as a player, Wynter is helping lead the next era of Temple Basketball alongside his former coach, using his experiences from his time as a player to help the newest generation of Owls.
BETTING ON HIMSELF
Throughout his childhood, Wynter was no stranger to the game of basketball. He can’t recall too many times where he didn’t have a basketball in his hand.
His father, Maurice, played college ball at Nova University and passed his love for the game to Wynter. The two went to courts and gyms together, and Maurice gave Camren the confidence that he uses today.
“He just helped me everyday, went to the gym whenever I wanted to,” Wynter said. “He just kept developing even when things felt like they weren’t on my way. He always just instilled that confidence in me to keep going.”
That instilled self-confidence got Wynter through one of his toughest challenges: the high school recruiting process. Wynter was relatively unknown to college recruiters at the big-time schools he hoped to play for. The Long Island native decided to bet on himself after four seasons at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, New York.
Wynter pursued a postgraduate year at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he played one final season of high school ball, hoping to impress recruiters. Though Wynter averaged 14 points, six assists and two steals, the scouts weren’t moved, and he still received minimal interest from schools.
“I would say it was a little bit hard at the end of high school, not knowing where I was going to go or if I was going to get offers,” Wynter said. “I just kept doing the same thing: working hard, believing it will happen, and just having that confidence in myself and in my game.”
A few offers started to trickle in, and Wynter made the most of it. The guard took another chance on himself and decided to move up the East Coast and play at Drexel.
ACROSS THE SCHUYLKILL
Wynter arrived in University City in 2018 unsure of the impact he would have on the hardwood. That question was answered almost instantly.
Wynter exploded onto the scene once he arrived, making an immediate impact on head coach Zach Spiker’s squad. He finished his freshman season as the team leader in assists while earning then-Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year and Drexel’s most valuable player.
Wynter’s game kept gradually improving throughout his time in West Philadelphia, and the accolades kept rolling in as well. He was named one of the Dragons’ captains in each of the next three seasons and helped lead the team to a surprise NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.
Many scouts and coaches felt the underrecruited guard was outplaying expectations, but Wynter felt he was showing the doubters what he was capable of the entire time. He finally had his opportunity to shine.
“Through those four years, I always carried that chip on my shoulder, that ‘I don’t belong’ feeling,” Wynter said. “Even when I was getting different accolades and stuff, I would always say to myself, ‘I wasn’t supposed to be here.’ I just wanted to keep proving people wrong and keep getting better.”
The player that few coaches wanted ended his undergrad career as one of the best to ever don a Dragons jersey. He finished third in program history in assists, sixth in points and eighth in steals.
Wynter entered the transfer portal in 2022 and, unlike his recruitment in high school, his phone started buzzing immediately with teams clamoring at the chance to have him play for them.
“Honestly, that was a crazy process,” Wynter said. “Not having as many offers coming out of high school, and then going into the portal and seeing what that kind of recruiting was like, it was kind of a blessing for me.”
HAPPY VALLEY
Wynter’s Drexel squad played against assistant coach Mike Farrelly’s Hofstra team several times in Wynter’s four years. After eight seasons with the Pride, Farrelly got a call from then-Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry and joined Shrewsberry’s staff as an assistant in 2021.
Farrelly led the Nittany Lions’ recruiting effort when Wynter hit the portal, trying to bring the Drexel standout to State College. Fisher was also a big part of the push.
“The three of us met with Cam, showed him our vision and how coach Shrewsberry wanted to bring him in,” Fisher said. “He took a visit with his dad, and I think he got to walk into Beaver Stadium. I think he looked around, and I said, ‘Hey, we don’t play here but we played next door,’ and I bet he liked all that.”
Wynter committed to the Nittany Lions in 2022 and started every game in his lone season. Penn State won the Big 10 Tournament in 2023 and reached the Round of 32 in March Madness before falling to Texas 71-66. The Nittany Lions would not have been there without Wynter, who finished his college career as one of nine Division I players since 1993 to have more than 1,900 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds.
Fisher and Wynter kept growing closer as the season went on. By all accounts, the pair were polar opposites. Wynter grew up playing ball while Fisher never touched the court, starting as a team manager who worked his way through the ranks. However, they both had one thing in common: their love for the game.
Fisher just so happened to have Wynter in his film group, and the pair would shoot around after practice almost every day. Their relationship began to blossom as time went on.
“My wife and I have the team and certain guys over the house a lot,” Fisher said. “Little groups come over to the house, have dinner and relax. Cam got to know my wife, got to know my little daughter, and loves them.”
NEW CHALLENGES
Wynter is just a 20-minute drive from where he began his college basketball career. He’s pursuing his newest passion with his mentor at Temple, and he is learning what it takes to move from the floor to the bench.
“Obviously being in a profession, things are different than just being a college student and playing basketball,” Wynter said. “I feel like having the experiences helped you a lot more than anything because you could just see things from a different perspective and you see different solutions to the situation.”
Wynter wasn’t sure what to expect in his first season. The transition took some getting used to, and the new coach has even gone into Fisher’s office like he was still a player before Fisher reminded him he had an office of his own.
The former standout still had the itch to play after being on the floor for so long, so he still sees the game from a player’s perspective. He uses his previous experiences on the court to help the guards of the Cherry and White.
One of those players is guard Hysier Miller, who Wynter has taken under his wing. Miller credits Wynter with seeing the game from his point of view in certain situations since he had recently stopped playing.
“It’s been great working with Cam,” Miller wrote in a message to The Temple News. “He’s seen and played in so many big games. His experience in the city and on the big stage in a Power 5 helps us because he’s been where we want to go.”
While his coaching career has just begun, Wynter has seen himself grow, and his work has paid off both for himself and for the players.
“I tried to give my input of what I would either do in the situation or what I used to see when I was in the game,” Wynter said. “I try to share those with the players. It’s a different feeling when you work out with them and you help them so much, and then to see them translate it to the game. It just gives you a great feeling.”
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