By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard has spent most of his life in a gym.
Washburn Rural sophomore Kaden Ballard (front) has been a key contributor for the 9-4 Junior Blues this winter. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn men's basketball coach Brett Ballard has done his best to stay in the background as his son, Kaden, embarks on his high school career at Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
But Ballard is adjusting to something new this winter, sitting in the stands as a fan.
Ballard's sophomore son, Kaden, has played a key role off the bench for the 9-4 Washburn Rural boys, with Brett in the stands for every game when the Ichabods' schedule doesn't conflict.
When Ballard is on hand to watch Kaden and Alex Hutchins' Junior Blues, he's careful to replace his coach's hat with his dad's hat, something he admits can be harder than you might think.
"I think it gives you perspective on what the parents of these kids I have been coaching have been going through all these years,'' Ballard said. "I think it just for sure gives you perspective on patience, and what your kid's going through, and you see that in a different way.
"It's hard having no control, and when it's your own kid, those emotions, they bubble up.''
Ballard says he tries his best to keep those emotions to himself .
"I don't say too much,'' he said. "The only thing I'll say to him, and very, very rarely, is just something on the defensive end and making sure he's playing hard and competing, but the coaches do a great job. He doesn't need me, he needs to listen to his coaches and he has a great group out there that are doing a good job with him.
"So I try to keep my mouth shut and just support his teammates and support the team.''
Brett is a coach's son himself, with his father, Larry, a longtime teacher and coach at Hutchinson in multiple sports.
"I had to play hard,'' Brett Ballard said of his dad's influence on him. "His main thing was go out and compete and if I didn't play hard, I was going to hear it from him.
"I knew the only time he was going to be disappointed was if I didn't play hard and if I wasn't aggressive. I learned that from him.''
Another thing Ballard learned from his dad was to have respect for his coaches and teachers.
"I was really fortunate because I never heard my dad talk bad about a coach, or a teacher,'' Ballard said. "It was always, 'Listen to your coaches and whatever they ask you to do, you do it to the best of your ability.'
"I think that was huge for me because I always felt like I had great coaches because I never heard anything from my parents. And I did have good coaches, but it was, 'Listen to your coaches, listen to your teachers.' I never heard him say one bad thing about a coach or a teacher, ever, when I was growing up.''
Ballard has embraced that same approach when it comes to Kaden.
"They've got a nice system out there (at Rural) and good players and good teammates, so I try to stay out of the way,'' he said.
Hutchins came on board as Washburn Rural's coach this season after a highly-successful run at Hays and said it didn't take him long to realize that Kaden has the attributes of a coach's son.
"Kaden is the epitome of a coach's kid,'' Hutchins said. "Kaden's strengths on the court are exactly what you'd expect from a coach's son. His skill level and shooting ability suggest he's spent countless hours in the gym. As far as intangibles go, he's a coach's dream.
"He is very quiet and reserved, but has an incredibly steady demeanor. Even as a sophomore, you can tell no moment is too big for him and he doesn't get too up or down based on circumstances. His awareness and basketball IQ are off the charts. He's usually the quickest on the floor to pick up new teachings and scouting reports. It seems like he's always in the right spot on the floor.''
Brett and Kelly Ballard have three children -- sons Kaden and Brooks and daughter Breagan -- and Ballard said he has enjoyed seeing them getting involved in athletics, which have meant so much to him and his family.
"I get a little bit nervous, but I enjoy it,'' Ballard said. "I want them to be good people, I want them to play the right way, I want them to be good teammates. Those are the things that are important to me. It's pretty cool to get to see your kid compete.''
