By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2025-2026 Washburn men's basketball team will have to replace four players who all received MIAA postseason honors from last season's 30-4 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Jack Bachelor
Brady Christiansen
But the Ichabods' cupboard is far from bare. In fact, Washburn coach Brett Ballard feels like the pieces are in place for the Ichabods to challenge for another MIAA championship and put together a strong postseason run.
"I think we have five guys returning that all either had started, did start or probably would have started on almost any team in the country last year,'' Ballard said. "We were just deep and talented.''
Junior Jack Bachelor, a first-team All-MIAA pick last season, is the Ichabods' lone returning starter, but Washburn also returns several other experienced players from last year's team, including seniors Sam Ungashick and Brady Christiansen, and sophomores Dillon Claussen and Tyson Ruud.
"Jack has started, Sam has started in the past, and now is healthy and playing as good as anybody,'' Ballard said. "Brady has started before and has shown that he's a high-level MIAA guy and then Dylan Claussen didn't start last year because he was playing behind Andrew Orr, but he would have started on most of the teams in our conference.
"And Tyson Ruud, when healthy, I think showed you he's a high-level MIAA guy, so yes we lost a lot, but I really feel good about the talent and leadership of the guys returning.''
Ungashick, an All-MIAA honorable mention honoree as a sophomore before battling back from knee injuries last season, agrees with his coach that the Ichabods are capable of putting together another banner season this winter.
"We definitely feel that way,'' Ungashick said. "We have a lot of guys who played real minutes in our games last year and they're all back on this team and all playing at a high level in practice so far this fall.''
Washburn was picked No. 1 in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls and Ungashick said the Ichabods embrace that challenge.
"We've kind of talked about that in practice, that we'd rather be No. 1 than last place, so I think that target on our back is forcing us to prepare in a good way for the season and I think that's pushing us to be the best and play to the best of our abilities,'' Ungashick said.
Bachelor, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists last season while hitting 66 3-pointers and shooting 85.6 percent from the free throw line.
Christiansen (6-7) has played 93 games as an Ichabod with 31 starts and averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds with 36 3-pointers last season while Claussen (6-8) averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman, including a 17-point performance in the national quarterfinals.
Washburn has also added transfers Isaiah Saams-Hoy (6-4 senior), Bryson Smith (6-2 senior), Jeremiah Jones (6-3 junior) and Marcus Glock (6-4 sophomore).
Saams-Hoy averaged 16.3 points and 6-4 rebounds for Alaska-Fairbanks last season while Jones averaged 11.9 points for Mary, Smith averaged 11.4 points with 131 assists for Northeastern State and Glock averaged 9.1 points for Northwest Missouri with 51 3-pointers.
"They're good players and they've shown they can help us, but they also have a high IQ and a willingness to learn,'' Ballard said.
The Ichabods' incoming freshman class includes 6-8 Amalachi Wilkins (Wichita Heights), 6-8 Tyler Salmon (Shawnee Mission Northwest), 6-5 Tayvin Zephier-Murphya (Omaha, Neb.) and 5-11 Kaden Ballard (Washburn Rural).
Washburn will open the 2025-26 season at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, facing Augusta on Nov. 1 and Dallas Baptist the following day in Lakeland, Fla.
"We've always played a tough non-con and we play two really good teams out of the gate,'' Brett Ballard said. "We play Augusta, Georgia and then Dallas Baptist, which was in the Final Four with us last year, so you'll kind of find out out of the gate where you're at and what you're made of.''
Washburn will make its debut in the newly-renovated Lee Arena on Nov. 19 against Rockhurst.
