Wayne junior basketball star Cam Blankenberg, the two-time All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year, is transferring outside of Section V.
Blankenberg will attend The Winchendon School, described as a private day and boarding school, in Winchendon, Massachusetts, this fall. He first revealed his move to the nationally renowned prep basketball program on Instagram Friday afternoon before confirming with the Democrat and Chronicle.
At Winchendon, Blankenberg will reclassify and graduate in 2027, hoping to gain more exposure on the court while putting himself on a faster path to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in college.
While the move seemed like an obvious choice for a hoops star of his status, Blankenberg said the decision to leave Wayne was tough, especially after capturing back-to-back Section V Class A championships and a pair of trips to the New York State Public High School Athletics Association final four, which included a state championship game appearance in 2024.
“It was a hard decision leaving Wayne,” Blankenberg said Friday night. “What they’ve done for me, it took a lot of time and thought into leaving. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a decision that had to be made in order for me to take that step in growing my basketball game.”
‘Look what he’s given me’
Wayne’s Bill Thomson, the 2024 AGR Coach of the Year, sat down with Blankenberg after the 2024-25 season to weigh the pros and cons of his hoops star leaving Wayne or finishing his senior year with the Eagles.
It soon became clear Blankenberg’s best interest was to transfer to a prep school.
“Look what he’s given me,” said Thomson, who’s won over 300 games. “He’s played for me since the eighth grade. He’s accomplished pretty much everything he could accomplish. … It would be greedy of me to want more.
“I fully support and encourage it. I’d certianly love to have him back and go after a third state run with our top three scorers (Blankenberg, Aidan Twist and Richie Miles) back, but we all support him.”
Unquestionably, Blankenberg has been Section V’s best player the past two seasons. He received over 60% of the coaches’ votes in 2024, then over 80% of the votes this year, becoming the first back-to-back AGR Player of the Year since former Greece Athena star Anthony Lamb earned the prestigious honor in 2015 and 2016 before his journey to the NBA.
Blankenberg was a Class A all-state first team selection by the New York State Sportswriters Association this winter after making fourth team in 2024. The 6-foot-6 do-it-all point guard averaged 28.7 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as a junior.
A two-time Finger Lakes East Player of the Year, Blankenberg broke his brother Logan’s all-time scoring record at Wayne in January, ending his junior season with 1,674 career points. That record is near and dear to his heart, but capturing a Section V title in 2024, then again in 2025 as Wayne’s only returning starter, is what Blankenberg cherished most.
Winning those section titles weren’t easy. Both wins came against East High, Section V’s most decorated basketball program coached by esteemed alum Darrell Barley, who is approaching 400 wins. After Wayne held on to beat East at Blue Cross Arena in March, an elegant Blankenberg immediately shook hands and consoled East’s coaching staff and players instead of celebrating with his teammates following the final buzzer.
“I have so much respect for them,” Blankenberg said. “I’ve played with a bunch of East High players over the summer. It’s hard to have to play each other for a section championship. … I had to show them some respect. I know how hard they worked and how bad they wanted that.”
About The Winchendon School
Winchendon’s basketball team has won two national prep invitational championships, according to its Instagram account. Former NBA player Francisco García is one of multiple pros who’ve graduated from The Winchendon School. García was an All-American at Louisville under coach Rick Pitino in 2005.
Blankenberg plans to finish his junior year at Wayne. He will head to Massachusetts at the end of June to practice and participate in a live tournament with Winchendon. Blankenberg will then return home and play on the AAU circuit with his City Rocks — which rosters Rush-Henrietta stars Avery Council and Jalen Taggart — squad before moving into The Winchendon School in August.
Thomson said Blankenberg hopes to build his strength, overall shooting ability and ball handling against pressure at The Winchendon School. Blankenberg seemed to excel at everything offensively and defensively agains Section V and NYSPHSAA teams, but tougher competition on the prep school circuit may improve his game.
Academically, The Winchendon School offers a more intimate classroom setting, Blankenberg said. He is already a National Honors Society student with a GPA in the high 90s at Wayne. Blankenberg is currently interested in studying math and science in college.
Winchendon, Massachusetts is located approximately 60 miles west of Boston.
— Marquel Slaughter is a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle, specializing in high school sports and Syracuse University athletics. He’s won numerous Associated Press and NYNPA awards for his work in print and broadcasting throughout his 15-year career as a reporter. Follow him @MarquelSports and X and Instagram. You can email him at mslaughter1@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Two-time AGR Player of the Year transfers out of Section V
Reporting by Marquel Slaughter, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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