Former Western Michigan star Shayne Whittington returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in June of 2024. The 2024-25 season was his first back with the Broncos.
The 2024-25 campaign saw Western Michigan return to the MAC Tournament, making it back-to-back appearances in Cleveland for the Broncos for the first time since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. WMU continued its recent dominance on the glass, leading the league in offensive rebounding for the third straight season. Western Michigan's 13.2 offensive boards per game ranked 24th in NCAA Division I, and its overall average of 37.8 rebounds was second-best in the MAC and 54th in the country. Individually, Owen Lobsinger, Donovan Williams and Max Burton were all among the league's top-18 rebounders. Junior guard Chansey Willis Jr. paced the MAC in both scoring and assists, and was named to the All-MAC Second Team, the program's first Second Team selection since Thomas Wilder in 2016.
Whittington had a decorated career at Western Michigan from 2009-14, during which he accumulated 1,119 career points and 737 rebounds. His 130 career blocks rank third all-time at WMU and his 27 double-doubles are sixth-most in program history.
A two-time All-MAC honoree, Whittington earned a First Team selection as a senior in 2013-14 as he helped the Broncos go 23-10, the third-most wins in program history, and post a 14-4 conference mark to win the program’s sixth MAC Regular Season title. In the MAC Tournament Championship Game, he scored 20 points and added 13 rebounds as Western Michigan knocked off Toledo to win the second MAC Tournament title in program history and secure its fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Â
Following his career at Western Michigan, Whittington signed a contract with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. During the 2014-15 season, he became the sixth former Bronco to appear in an NBA game, making his debut on Nov. 8 against the Washington Wizards. He played in 27 games for the Pacers during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns, and then continued his professional career overseas in Spain, Russia and Japan.
Â
Whittington began his coaching career in 2023-24, returning to the Pacers as a team assistant for a franchise that posted its first winning record and made its first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 campaign. During the season, Indiana advanced to the championship game of the inaugural NBA Cup, and then in the playoffs made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
A native of Paw Paw, Mich., Whittington received a Bachelor of Science degree from WMU in 2014.Â
