David Shillinger and Camden Thompson were the biggest head-turners in the West Michigan Conference and among the top performers in the Muskegon and lakeshore areas during the 2023-24 boys basketball season.
Turns out, they were among the state of Michigan’s top players in their division.
Shillinger and Thompson were voted Division 2 first-team all-staters by a Michigan Associated Press panel of sports writers. See the list of Division 2 first-teamers below.
North Muskegon senior Lamarkis Graham, who led the Norsemen to a 22-0 regular-season record along with West Michigan Conference Rivers Division and Division 3 district titles, was voted all-state honorable mention in Division 3.
Shillinger’s and Thompson’s teams went head-to-head twice this season with Whitehall winning both matchups, 64-62 and 71-62.
Here are more details on Shillinger and Thompson:
David Shillinger, Ludington
The 5-foot-8 senior combo guard and four-year varsity starter is the all-time leading boys scorer in Ludington High School and in Mason County history with 1,776 career points.
Shillinger averaged 25 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 steals, and 2.2 steals per game this season. He set Ludington’s single-season scoring record with 649 points and tied the single-game scoring record with 45 points in a contest this season.
Shillinger shot 55 percent from inside the 3-point arc and 33 percent beyond it.
Pound-for-pound, he was one of the toughest players in the area.
Ludington finished with a 19-7 overall record this season and placed second in the WMC Lakes Division at 10-2. The Orioles captured a Division 2 district title and lost a 37-34 heartbreaker to Kingsford in the regional finals.
Camden Thompson, Whitehall
Whitehall junior Camden Thompson poses for a photo during CatchMark SportsNet Media Day prior to the 2023-24 season. (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
The 6-foot-5 junior wing is a three-time winner of the CatchMark SportsNet WMC Player of the Year award. The three-sport standout also a Division I prospect in basketball and football. He excels in track and field, too.
This season, Thompson was a scoring and rebounding machine for the Vikings. He averaged 20.7 points, 17.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.
He shot 52 percent inside the 3-point arc, 32 percent from beyond the arc, and 69 percent at the free-throw line.
MLive included Thompson among 25 players to watch for the 2025 Michigan Mr. Basketball award.
Whitehall finished with a 22-0 record during the regular season and went 12-0 in the WMC Lakes en route to the divisional title. The Vikings were ranked in the top five in Division 2 for a large portion of the season.
Whitehall’s season ended with a tough overtime loss to Spring Lake in the district semifinals.
AP Division 2 first-team all-staters
Ayden Davis, Onsted, Sr.
Durral Brooks, Grand Raids Catholic Central, Sr.
Markus Blackwell, Warren Lincoln, Jr.
Jake Stephens, Chelsea, Sr.
Stevie Elam, Adrian, Jr.
Carson Vis, Grand Rapids South Christian, Jr.
Cam Thompson, Whitehall, Jr.
Braiden Whitaker, Dundee, Sr.
Joey Cabana, Chelsea, Sr.
Jaylan Ouwinga, Grand Rapids Christian, Sr.
David Shillinger, Ludington, Sr.
Josiah King, Benton Harbor, Sr.
Jalen Kampen, Parchment, Jr.
Lyna Brooks, Saginaw Arthur Hill, Sr.
