Whittenburg's cousin was NBA star David Thompson, who had won the national championship while playing for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in 1974.

He sought to emulate his cousin and play for Norm Sloan at NC State, where he thought he would win a national championship.

Whittenburg became a star player under Sloan's successor, Jim Valvano, as he was named second team all-Atlantic Coast Conference as a junior and helped the Wolfpack to the 1983 national championship.

Whittenburg then followed his head coach from George Mason, Joe Harrington, to Long Beach State, but only stayed there a year before returning to Valvano's staff at his alma mater.

His success gained the attention of Fordham University, who hired Whittenburg away from Wagner to replace former NBA head coach Bob Hill.

On October 23, 2015, NC State announced that Whittenburg had accepted the position of Associate Athletic Director for Community Relations and Student Support, and would no longer be serving as an assistant coach, effective immediately.