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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: Additional pictures will be added at TopSports.news when they are received.
Quentin Adams
QUENTIN ADAMS, Highland Park
A senior point guard, Adams was a floor leader for a Highland Park team that posted a 18-5 record and advanced to the Class 5A tournament last season, averaging 6 points, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals for the Scots, who begin their first season in the Meadowlark Conference this winter. Adams earned TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season.
Bo Aldridge
BO ALDRIDGE, Highland Park
A 6-foot-4 senior, Aldridge helped lead the 18-5 Scots to a Class 5A state tournament berth last season, earning TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-Centennial League first-team recognition last season. Aldridge, who received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, averaged 18.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals as a junior.
Xavier Alexander
XAVIER ALEXANDER, Topeka West
Alexander, a senior guard, helped Topeka West post a 21-2 record in 2021-2022 en route to a second straight Centennial League championship and a second straight 5A state tournament berth. Alexander received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season after averaging 10.7 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals while hitting 47 3-pointers and shooting 66 percent from 2-point range.
Sincere Austin
SINCERE AUSTIN, Topeka West
A 6-foot-1 senior, Austin helped Topeka West post a 21-2 record last season with the Chargers claiming a second straight Class 5A state tournament berth and a second straight Centennial League championship. Austin earned TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-Centennial League second-team recognition as a junior after averaging 10.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals and hitting 32 3-pointers.
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural
Bachelor, a 6-2 senior, earned TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-Centennial League second-team honors as a junior for the 9-13 Junior Blues, averaging 13.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals while connecting on 44 3-pointers and shooting 43 percent from outside the arc.
Malachi Berg
MALACHI BERG, Topeka West
A 6-2 senior, Berg was a workhorse inside for the 21-2 Chargers, who claimed a second straight Centennial League title and a second straight 5A state tournament berth. Berg earned All-Centennial League and TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention, averaging 6.0 rebounds and shooting 60 percent from 2-point field goal range.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 sophomore point guard, Becker was a TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 10 and All-Centennial League first-team pick as a freshman and was named the newcomer of the year in the Centennial League and Shawnee County. Becker, who received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, averaged 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists last season for the 16-6 Vikings.
Breezy Canady
BREEZY CANADY, Shawnee Heights
Canady, a 5-5 junior guard, returns as one of the most experienced players for a Shawnee Heights team that posted a 10-11 record last season. Canady averaged 1.6 asists and 1.2 steals as a sophomore for the T-Birds.
Zoe Canfield
ZOE CANFIELD, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 junior, Canfield averaged 10.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals last season for the 23-2 Class 6A state-champion Junior Blues, earning Top 10 TSN All-Shawnee County, second-team All-Centennial League and KBCA All-6A honorable mention recognition. Canfield, who has orally committed to Kansas, shot 47.5 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line.
Adisyn Caryl
ADISYN CARYL, Topeka High
Caryl, a 5-9 senior, earned TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 honors last season and also received All-Centennial League honorable mention, helping the 20-3 Trojans win the league title and earn a 6A state tournament berth. Caryl averaged 8.4 rebounds and shot 56 percent from 2-point range as a junior for the Trojans.
Zoe Clark
ZOE CLARK, Topeka West
A junior, Clark received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season after averaging 5.2 points and 1.5 steals and hitting 13 3-pointers for Topeka West, which will be looking to improve on last season's 2-18 record.
Brooklyn DeLeye
BROOKLYN DeLEYE, Washburn Rural
A 6-2 senior, DeLeye averaged 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists as a junior for the 23-2 6A state-champion Junior Blues, earning first-team All-Centennial League and TSN All-Shawnee County honors and earning All-6A honorable mention from the KBCA. DeLeye, a Kentucky commit in volleyball, helped lead the Junior Blues to the state title in that sport this fall.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University football team, which posted a 7-4 record in 2022, earned 18 All-MIAA honors Tuesday, led by senior star James Letcher Jr., who repeated as the conference's special teams player of the year while also picking up unanimous first team All-MIAA honors at wide receiver and first team honors as a return specialist.
Washburn senior James Letcher Jr. was named the MIAA special teams player of the year and made the all-conference team at two positions for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn senior Grant Bruner, who leads the nation in tackles, was named to the All-MIAA firt team at linebacker. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn junior offensive lineman Andrew Funk (72), congratulating teammate James Letcher Jr., received All-MIAA first-team honors. [File photo/TSN]
Letcher, Jr. became the first Ichabod to earn the conference special teams player of the year honor twice and only the second Ichabod to win it.
Letcher, a former Piper standout, averaged 26 yards per punt return on 11 attempts with two touchdowns, including an 89-yard return against Missouri Southern in last Saturday's season finale.
As a wide receiver, Letcher led the MIAA in receiving with 80 receptions, 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He averaged 13.5 yards per catch and a league-best 7.3 receptions per game, tallying 97.8 receiving yards per game.
Overall, Letcher had 24 more catches and 344 receiving yards than anyone else in the league.
Letcher has been a three-time All-MIAA selection at wide receiver, with two first team selections, and is a three-time selection as a return specialist. Letcher also leads the league in all-purpose yards with 1,575 averaging 143.2 yards per game – more than 42 yards ahead of the next closest player.
Washburn senior linebacker Grant Bruner earned first-team All-MIAA honors at linebacker as he leads the nation with 137 tackles, including a nation-best 80 solo tackles, while averaging 12.5 tackles per game. Bruner received honorable mention in 2019.
Junior offensive lineman Andrew Funk was a first team All-MIAA selection after helping the Ichabods to the fourth-best offense in the league at 401.5 yards per game with the No. 2 passing offense and the No. 6 rushing units.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods will be in action at Lee Arena for the first time this season when the Ichabods host William Jewell at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Washburn men's basketball will play its home-opener on Wednesday night against William Jewell. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The 1-1 Ichabods are coming off a 75-46 win over No. 18-ranked win over Augustana last Saturday after dropping a 79-73 season-opening decision to Henderson State last Friday.
William Jewell is also 1-1, defeating Davenport 90-76 before losing to Purdue Northwest, 77-62, at the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge last weekend.
Washburn fell 56-52 at William Jewell last season.
The Ichabods are 37-1 all-time in home openers, with the lone loss coming in 1990 to Friends in an 89-88 setback. Since then the Ichabods have won their last 31 Lee Arena debuts.
Washburn posted a 22-11 record last season, recording the program's 30th 20-win season and the fourth under Ichabod coach Brett Ballard in his five seasons.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Geo Lyons and Brittney Redmond have spent a lot of time in Topeka High's gymnasium, affectionately known as "The Dungeon.''
But this year is different, with Lyons and Redmond running the show at their alma mater.
Lyons, a 1998 THS graduate, held his first official practice as the Trojans' boys basketball coach on Monday while Redmond, a 2011 grad, kicked off her tenure as the High girls coach as preseason practice got under way across the state in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling and boys swimming.
Topeka High graduate Geo Lyons held his first official practice as the Trojans' head boys basketball coach on Monday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Brittney Redmond, a 2011 Topeka High graduate, was back in "The Dungeon'' on Monday for her first practice as the Trojans' head girls basketball coach. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Redmond was named the Trojans' girls coach in May after stints as an assistant coach at four junior colleges while Lyons was named Topeka High's boys coach in June after four seasons as the head coach at Kansas City-Schlagle.
"I think it brought back some nastaligic memories but it also made it real that basketball is officially here,'' Redmond said about Monday's opening practice. "In college you jump right in it, but here you kind of have to wait a minute and then it's just the rush of trying to get a team ready in two weeks.''
Lyons, who had stints as an assistant at both High and Topeka West, said he was excited to get started in his new role of guiding the THS program.
"I'm looking at this as really a blank canvas,'' Lyons said. "We've got a whole new staff so everything's going to be new to these young men, but I like that I really get to come in and put my stamp on this thing.''
Redmond and Lyons face different challenges in the 2022-2023 campaign, with Redmond trying to help Topeka High continue a recent run as one of the state's most successful girls programs while Lyons will be trying to help the Trojans return to their once-storied status.
