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Created: 24 November 2025

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.''

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Created: 24 November 2025

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Ron Slaymaker, one of the best basketball coaches in Kansas history, will turn 89 in December, but you wouldn’t know it when you attend a practice or game. Slaymaker is still having fun with it.

Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton is a returning All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick for the Trojans, who posted a 14-8 record last season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka High senior Keimara Marshall is back for her fourth season as the Trojans' point guard, earning All-Shawnee County Top 10 recognition last season. [File photo/TSN]

In Year 2 with the Trojans and his 12th overall coaching girls basketball, Slaymaker will have four of his starters back after a 14-win season last year. That came after Slaymaker was told his team would be lucky to win seven at most.

“We’ll be expected to win more this year, no question about it,” Slaymaker said. “Now, we just have to meet expectations.”

The one starter Topeka High graduated was Jo'Mhara Benning, who Slaymaker said was a great presence down low and a rebound warrior and they have to replace that.

“I think we have four or five girls that are knocking at the door to be able to replace her,'' Slaymaker said. "Not replace what she did, but replace her with a good player.''

“We are very quick and you have to take advantage of what you are. I think we can be even quicker than what we were last year.”

Slaymaker said when he came to Topeka High there were two things he wanted to accomplish -- play defense and run a lot. Slaymaker saw those changes over the course of the season and knew the girls had it in them.

He said during this year's practice window, the Trojans are starting with that attitude and he hopes they’ll take advantage of that early.

Hailey Caryl made an immediate impact for Topeka High last season as a freshman, earning All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Keimara Marshall and junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton were both All-Shawnee County Top 10 picks last season while sophomore Hailey Caryl was a Second 10 pick.

Caryl and Rayton said Slaymaker is always upbeat, giving them high-fives and keeping the energy at a high level. Slaymaker laughed when TopSports.News asked him about that.

“I’m a little more grouchy this year in our one week of practice, but I’m glad they feel that way,'' he said. "If I don’t have energy, then I need to get out of here. I still have passion for what I’m doing and that’s energy and if that’s passed along to them that’s good.”

Caryl and Rayton are excited about the up-tempo pace they’ll play with and the speed they bring. The competitive nature the team brings is a trait that they like, too.

“Last year we had a lot of deflections,'' Rayton said. "Slay loves defense, quick hands. He drills that into our heads.”

 “We need to push for more rebounding and take advantage of the fast break that Slay likes us to do,” Caryl said.

Slaymaker said he’s focusing on making practice better to play better. Last year, he said they played well but didn’t practice well so they’re trying to turn that around, and believe with that, they could be a really good basketball team.

Slaymaker said they’ve turned around the recent down years and had more girls turn out for tryouts -- 27 to be exact, compared to 16 last season.

“That’s the culture everybody seeks, you can’t always get it easily but you have to have some success along the way and maybe girls basketball at Topeka High will be right up there again,” Slaymaker said.

Details

Created: 24 November 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 2-ranked Washburn University men's basketball returns to Lee Arena on Tuesday night to face Friends at 7 p.m. in the Ichabods' final game before the Thanksgiving break.

Washburn is 6-0 after a 90-54 win over William Jewell on Saturday in Liberty, Mo., with the 36-point win one shy of the largest win in the series history with the Cardinals.

 

Brett Ballard climbed to No. 2 on Washburn's career win list with Saturday's 90-54 road win at William Jewell. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]  

 In the win over William Jewell, Ichabod coach Brett Ballard moved into second place on the all-time win chart at Washburn, passing Glenn Cafer with his 173rd win on the Ichabod bench. Ballard is 173-79 in his ninth season, while Cafer was 172-145 in 12 seasons at Washburn.

 

Freshman Amalachi Wilkins led the Ichabods off the bench against William Jewell with 13 points on five of five shooting with four boards and two steals in 16 minutes of play. 

Friends is 5-2 on the season after defeating York, Neb., 77-55, last time out on the road.

 

The Falcons have the distinction of being the only team to defeat the Ichabods in a home opener in Lee Arena.

 

Friends topped the Ichabods, 89-88, on Nov. 16, 1990. Since then the Ichabods have won 36 consecutive home openers and Washburn is 40-1 overall in home openers after last Wednesday's 85-81 win over Rockhurst.

 

The Ichabods are fifth in scoring margin in the NCAA D2 ranks at plus 27.2 and fourth in field goal percentage at 54.4 percent.

 

Topekan Jack Bachelor is fifth in the nation in 3-pointers made with 18 while leading the MIAA and Dillon Claussen is eighth in the nation in double-doubles with two. Claussen is also 11th in the nation in field goal percentage at 73.3 and 17th in total rebounds with 45.

 

Jeremiah Jones is second in the nation in total steals with 19 and is ranked 13th in steals per game at 3.17 per contest.

 

Brady Christiansen (1) is set to play in his 100th career game for Washburn Tuesday night against Friends. [File photo/TSN]

Bachelor will be making his 50th consecutive start on Tuesday against Friends while Brady Christiansen will play in his 100th game as an Ichabod.

Washburn has a 17-game home court winning streak, which is tied for the fifth-longest in the D-II ranks.

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