CORVALLIS – Cam Stoudamire is one of 29 true freshmen on Oregon State’s football roster, a walk-on at that.

But his last name is as familiar to Oregonians as anyone on the team.

Cam is the brother of former Portland Trail Blazer great Damon Stoudamire.

Stoudamire was 26 and well into a 14-year NBA playing career when his father Willie told him he was going to have a half-brother. Willie and his family lived near Atlanta when Cam was born.

Fast forward 18 years later, and the brothers are as connected as ever, but vastly different.

Damon is 5-foot-10 and nicknamed Mighty Mouse, a basketball star at Wilson High School and University of Arizona before hitting the NBA. Cam is taller at 6-foot-1, and although he played basketball at Roosevelt High, his sport is football. Colleges were only moderately interested in Cam, who took a walk-on offer from the Beavers.

The guy with scholarship offers aplenty tells Brother Walk-on he can become anything he wants to be.

“He has great size. He’s a pretty good athlete. He’s got genes. That’s what I tell him. There’s no denying that,” Damon Stoudamire said. “My only advice to him was bet on yourself. When you’re an athlete and you’re trying to make it, you have to have so much confidence in yourself. It can’t waver.”

By betting on himself, Stoudamire encouraged Cam to take a long look at Oregon State after it offered a walk-on spot. It didn’t escape Damon’s notice that Beavers coach Jonathan Smith once was Cam, a former walk-on at OSU who became one of the school’s most popular quarterbacks.

“My whole thing with him was, you’re playing for a dude who believes in guys like you,” Damon said. “Your head coach wasn’t supposed to make it. Not only did he make it, he’s was all-conference. He bet on himself. You have to feel the same way.”

Cam Stoudamire lived in Georgia most of his life, moving to Portland midway through high school to attend Central Catholic, only to attend Roosevelt for his senior year. Damon has been on the move for much of Cam’s life, first finishing his NBA playing career, followed by several stops as a coach.

Damon, now coach at University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif., says he wouldn’t describe his relationship with Cam as “close,” but the two began increasing their communication after his brother moved to Portland.

“I think we’re fine,” Damon said. “Cam, he’s just trying to figure it all out right now. When we do talk, I just try to tell him, you got to work your ass off. Nothing is given in life.”

Cam Stoudamire was not able to comment for this story, as Oregon State does not allow first-year freshmen to speak to the media during preseason camp.

Roosevelt coach Tim Price says Cam Stoudamire probably fell through the recruiting cracks because as the Roughriders had a number of newcomers and college coaches didn’t know who they were. Stoudamire transferred to Roosevelt, in part to be on the same team with uncle Anthony Stoudamire, the Roughriders’ offensive coordinator.

Price believes Stoudamire, a first-team all-Portland Interscholastic League defensive back, belongs at the FBS college level. Price described Stoudamire as “tall, with lanky long arms, and great in man-to-man coverage.”

Stoudamire had a partial scholarship offer to Northern Colorado. Other schools showed interest late in the process, including Oregon State.

“They saw his tape, and thought we should give this kid a chance,” Price said. “He ain’t come back home, so I guess he must be doing alright.”

Damon Stoudamire says he hasn’t talked to Cam since he started OSU’s preseason camp, but adds “I’ve been getting word that he’s tired a lot.”

Football was not Damon’s sport. He played Pop Warner and his freshman year at Wilson before shelving football for full-time basketball.

Damon said because of his coaching life, he’s never watched Cam play football live, but has viewed plenty of video tape. He’s hoping that changes with Cam part of college football.

“Yeah, I’m going to follow Oregon State a bit. I’m going to get down there and see how he’s doing,” Stoudamire said. “I want to him to get acclimated first. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Only thing I care, man, is just you got to believe in yourself.”

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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