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Topeka High boys basketball led by one of its own to turn program around
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Topeka High boys basketball is the place to be if you like candy. First-year head coach Robbie Sanders always has candy on deck every practice.
Senior Bryson McComas is a top returner for Topeka High boys basketball, which begins its first season under former Trojan standout Robbie Sanders. [File photo/TSN]
“I get a little nervous. It’s the hand to mouth thing and candy calms me down a little bit,” Sanders said with a smile.
Sanders’ personal favorite is Sour Patch Kids and senior Bryson McComas loves Starbursts.
Sanders said the summer program was huge for the Trojans as he tried to implement his style and vision for the program.
“We got a great group of seniors,” Sanders said. “They’re hungry, they want to win and get that taste out of their mouth from last year and they’ve responded really well to everything I’ve asked from them.”
Before coming back to his alma mater, Topeka High, Sanders spent the last several years as an assistant under Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting.
“I learned so much from coach Darting,'' Sanders said. "We never lowered the expectations. The expectation is to win state. That is the ultimate goal if you’re not quite there yet and I want all these kids to know that if we do things the right way and everybody commits and buys-in, it’s attainable.
"(Heights) wasn’t in great shape when Darting got there and myself included, but now it’s in good standing and I want to do that at Topeka High.''
Sanders is thrilled to be back in The Dunegon and when he looks back in time, he talks about his time at Topeka High and he hopes that he can feed his experiences into the players.
“I want them to feel what I felt here when I was at Topeka High,'' he said. "I feel like my two years here changed my life from a confidence standpoint, believing in myself as a basketball player, as a man and guys like John Taber who coached when I was here. They just put their arms around me and they loved me and I want to do the same for these kids.
“I just look around here and remember my Mom used to sit on the bench side of the bleachers. All the memories every time I step in this gym are coming back and I also had the opportunity to coach here for 13 years … I grew up here, my kids grew up here, my family was a part of this fabric of Topeka High between 1996 all the way until 2018. This was our life and I’m very happy to be back.”
Versatility is the best way to describe this group according to Sanders and they can attack in different ways, too.
McComas said Sanders is emphasizing the hustle plays and not being lackadaisical like they were last season. The goal this year is creating that new identity and they’re motivated to flip the script.
“We play together well, we’re not arguing a lot. We’re just swinging the rock and moving the ball to get quality shots, not rushing shots so I think we should be pretty good along with our defense,” McComas said.
McComas said he’s preaching that if the team or the seniors get on other teammates, he hopes they don’t take it to heart because they want to be better and win.
Sanders said when the Trojans have their first game here soon, he may bring some candy in his pocket to calm his nerves.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,'' Sanders said. "I wanted the job back in 2019 when Coach Denney left but being around Coach Darting the last few years, I found out I wasn’t quite ready yet and needed a little more time.
"There will be a lot of nerves… I hope I don’t break down crying,” Sanders added with a laugh. “I see myself doing the Chris Jones before and tears coming down from my eyes… I want to turn this thing around.''
Silver Lake girls continue creating championship habits in practice as 2025-2026 season looms
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
There’s no question that over the last few years, Silver Lake girls basketball has been one of the best programs in Class 3A.
In 2025, the Eagles were the state runnerups. In 2024, they won it all, in 2023 they took fourth, in 2022, they took third and in 2021 they made an appearance as well.
Two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick Kailyn Hanni is back for her senior season for perennial Class 3A contender Silver Lake. [File photo/TSN]
It’s Year 6 for coach Kyle Porter and he’s just as excited to begin another journey and make a run to the state tournament once again.
The Eagles have a sign in the old gymnasium that says 'Championship Habits, Championship Communication, Championship Shape,' that helps lay the foundation in the first week of practices on who Silver Lake want to be.
“We’re not a team that is openly vocal, we struggle to communicate at times with our teammates and we have to constantly reinforce and require them to use their voice, to use their body language to create energy themselves because in times of adversity, it’s easy to go silent, easy to get siloed up and we have to come together as a team,” Porter said.
“We’re going to be pretty similar to how we’ve been in years past. We want to get easy baskets in transition when we can. We want to attack through the paint… and we want to do the opposite on defense.”
Star senior guard Kailyn Hanni has been a focal point of this program for several years now and stepping into her final season, Porter can’t wait to see what this year can bring for her.
TopSports.news' boys basketball players to watch in the 2025-2026 season
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jalen Aldridge, Topeka High
JALEN ALDRIDGE, Topeka High
Aldridge, a 6-foot-1 senior, averaged a team-high 12.3 points for Topeka High last season, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Aldridge shot 43 percent on two-point field goal attempts and connected on 26 3-pointers while averaging 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals and shooting 70 percent from the free throw line.
JA'VEON ALSTON, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 senior point guard, Alston received All-Shawnee County and United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record en route to a second straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament. A standout defender, Alston averaged 2.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the T-Birds as a junior.
Mason Becker, Hayden
MASON BECKER, Hayden
A 5-11 junior guard, Becker was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 last season after averaging 10.1 points with 36 3-pointers, while shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Becker also averaged 2.8 rebounds for the Wildcats. Becker will get a late start on preseason basketball practice after helping lead the Wildcats football team to their third straight Class 3A state championship game Saturday in Hutchinson.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-4 senior, is a two-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick after being named the Shawnee County co-newcomer of the year and receiving honorable mention as a freshman. Bonner averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.9 steals this past season for the 13-8 Vikings while hitting 49 3-pointers and shooting 77 percent from the free throw line.
CALEB CLEVERDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior, Cleverdon will be counted on heavily this winter as Cair Paravel looks to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Cleverson averaged 7.6 points last season while connecting on 33 3-pointers and shooting 35 percent from outside the arc. Cleverdon also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a junior.
JAI'MARION COOK, Shawnee Heights
Cook, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season while helping Shawnee Heights post an 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Cook connected on 30 3-pointers as a junior while shooting 38 percent from outside the 3-point line.
Jack Donovan, Rossville
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A 5-11 senior, Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the second straight season after averaging 18.7 points with 62 3-pointers while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and 78.4 percent from the free throw line. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 16-8 record and a Class 2A state tournament berth last season. Donovan, a first-team All-Big East League pick, is also a standout in golf and football, helping Rossville reach the Class 1A state football title game on Friday in Hutchinson.
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a 6-4 senior, received second-team All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference recognition last season after helping lead the Chargers to the Class 5A state tournament, where West lost in the quarterfinals to state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel. Duncan averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals as a junior while shooting 55 percent on two-point field goal attempts.
ONTARIUS EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 6-4 senior forward, received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Emmot averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a junior while draining 29 treys on the season.
Elisha Guest, Topeka High
ELISHA GUEST, Topeka High
A 5-7 senior, Guest received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after averaging 11.6 points while connecting on 49 3-pointers and shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Guest also averaged 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals for the Trojans last season.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden
Hanika, a 6-5 senior, received All-Shawnee County second-team honors last season after averaging 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 48 percent on two-point field goals. Hanika is Hayden's starting quarterback in football, helping the Wildcats reach their third straight Class 3A state championship game.
John Hoytal, Washburn Rural
JOHN HOYTAL, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2 senior forward, Hoytal received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season after helping the 18-5 Junior Blues win the Centennial League title and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. Hoytal averaged 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals last season while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goals and 73 percent from the free throw line.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-2 senior, helped lead the Eagles to a 20-6 record and a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament in 2024-2025. A first-team All-Big East League selection, Johnson moved up to the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after being a Second 10 pick as a sophomore. Johnson is a multi-sport standout for the Eagles, earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors as a junior.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
LUCAS MARICHAL, Cair Paravel
A senior, Marichal is a key returner for Cair Paravel Latin, which will by looking to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Marichal averaged 9.0 points a year ago while connecting on 28 3-pointers and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
