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.''
