By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Growing up in Atchison in the 1990s, Dwayne Anthony developed an admiration for the Hayden boys basketball program from afar.
Dwayne Anthony
Now the former Topeka West assistant will get a bird's eye view of the tradition-rich Wildcat program, landing his first head coaching opportunity at the school.
Anthony, who spent the past six seasons on Rick Bloomquist's staff at West, was named Hayden's new head coach on Monday, replacing Trey Brown, who resigned after one season last month to accept an assistant's position at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
"It's just a privilege,'' Anthony told TopSports.news. "When I was in high school this was one of the few Topeka teams I even played in high school, so I've had kind of a connection. And that was in the (Ben) Meseke years so that was a big game for me every year of my high school years.
"So I've always been fond of Hayden in that way and then I was so blessed to be with coach Bloom over at West when I did get an opportunity to get back into basketball and coaching over the last few years. And I would always watch and see what was gong on in the city because I'm just so connected to so many people just being in the community that I'm kind of a fan of everyone.''
When Brown announced that he was stepping down at Hayden, the 1996 Atchison graduate immediately showed interest in the position.
"It's a little familiar to me as far as the school setting because I'm from Atchison and it was a (Class) 4A and the same size and similar,'' Anthony said. "I've noticed that they just seem to have some guys that really have a love and a passion and a work ethic that despite the talent sometimes throughout the years they go hard and do their best and that was something I'd seen from the outside looking in.
"And given that my own situation changed (with Bloomquist stepping down at West) I was blessed to take advantage and that they hired me as the head coach and I'm excited.''
Anthony was scheduled to meet with his new team on Monday and said he plans to hit the ground running.
"I just want to get in there and get going,'' he said. "It seems like a family atmosphere, so I want to meet family. I want to meet family tonight and get in the gym and see what they're doing and what's working and just kind of get a feel on that level.''
Anthony played for Stan Purdy at Atchison and was a cousin of the late Chic Downing, a basketball legend in Atchison.
Anthony completed his collegiate basketball career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 2000 after playing for Wichita State in 1996-97. He led the team to the Elite Eight his senior year at IUP. Anthony graduated in 2000 with bachelor's degree in communication and mass media.
Anthony, who is married with two children, is an associate vice-president with SparkWheel, a local organization whose mission is to work with students inside schools to help them achieve success in academics and life and reach their full potential.
Hayden posted an 8-16 record this past season, but posted three straight sub-state wins to earn a trip to the 3A state tournament.
“Coach Anthony is thrilled to have the opportunity to lead our young men and become part of the Hayden community,'' Hayden principal James Sandstrom said in a release. "We value his energy and experience and look forward to him upholding the proud tradition of our basketball program.''
