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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been a long wait, but Washburn University's basketball teams will finally get the opportunity to officially christen the newly-renovated Lee Arena this week as the Ichabods tip off the home portion of the 2025-2026 basketball season.
After seventh months of waiting, Lee Arena will be rocking Wednesday night when Washburn's men's basketball team hosts Rockhurst in a 7 p.m. contest. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabod men will host Rockhurst at 7 p.m. Wednesday while the WU women will host back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday in the Washburn Invitational.
The $8 million dollar, seven-month-long renovation of Lee, which opened in 1984 and is the home for the Ichabod basketball and volleyball teams, necessitated major schedule changes, including the nationally-ranked WU volleyball team playing all of its regular-season matches in Whiting Fieldhouse.
But now its time to reap the rewards the new state of the art facility will provide.
"My office looks into the gym, so for the last six months every day you see it,'' Washburn men's basketball coach Brett Ballard said. "That's good and bad because it just feels like at first nothing's happening and then it's all come together.
"It looks amazing. I've always felt like we had a great atmosphere in Lee Arena, and I think this will just enhance it. I know our guys are really appreciative and excited about it. We're just ready to get that opportunity to play out there.''
Lee, which had not been used since the Washburn men captured the NCAA Division II regional championship in late March, features a new court and scoreboards, a new seating system and updated technology.
Both Washburn basketball teams will make their debuts in the newly-renovated Lee Arena this week. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"You just walk down there and I don't know if you can feel energy in a place, but you can feel it in there,'' Washburn women's coach Lora Westling said. "It's fresh, it's clean, it's sharp and I just can't imagine a better venue in Division II in the country. We're just dying to get on it because they've done an exceptional job with the renovation.''
"I'm excited, it looks great,'' said Washburn women's senior standout Payton Sterk. "It's really going to be awesome in there.
"It was beautiful before, so it's really been cool to see what they've been doing and I'm really excited to play in it and have my family and friends and everyone be able to be in there and watch, too.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 freshman guard/forward, Anderson has yet to take the basketball court for the Junior Blues, but made an immediate impact in volleyball, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team honors while also being named the county and league newcomer of the year as Washburn Rural won the Centennial League title and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament for the ninth straight season.
SAMI BAUM, Shawnee Heights
A 6-1 junior, Baum will make her high school basketball debut in the 2025-2026 season after joining the T-Birds. Baum, who has been home schooled, played for the Shawnee Heights volleyball team this fall and has extensive experience in club basketball, receiving interest from college recruiters.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville
NORA BURDIEK, Rossville
Burdiek, a 6-0 junior forward, missed 11 games of the 2024-2025 season with an injury, but still earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention and was a third-team All-Class 2A and All-Big-East League honoree after averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds for 10-12 Rossville. Burdiek was a first-team All-Shawnee County and 2A All-State pick in volleyball, helping lead the Bulldawgs to the state tournament.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
PEARMELLA CARTER, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 junior, Carter starred at Highland Park the past two seasons before transferring to Shawnee Heights for the 2025-2026 season. Carter was a Second 10 All-Shawnee County selection for the Scots last winter after averaging 19.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.1 assists and shooting 50 percent from 2-point field goal range while connecting on 14 3-pointers.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High
Caryl, a 5-10 sophomore, received All-Shawnee County Second 10 honors as a freshman after helping Topeka High post a 14-8 record and a nine-win improvement over the 2023-2024 season. Caryl averaged 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman while shooting 58 percent on 2-point field attempts and averaging 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. Caryl is also a tennis and soccer standout for the Trojans.
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A 5-7 sophomore guard, Deiter earned All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition for the 23-3 Eagles as a freshman starter, averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as Silver Lake overcame big graduation losses from its 2024 Class 3A state championship team to post a runnerup state finish. Deiter was a first-team all-county pick in volleyball this fall after the Eagles won the state title with a 46-1 record, including 37 straight wins to end the season.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
A 5-6 senior guard, Dick was a first-team All-2A and All-Big East League pick last season and was an All-Shawnee County second-team selection after averaging 20.4 points with 68 made 3-pointers and 89-percent shooting from the free throw line for the 10-12 Bulldawgs while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career. Dick, who has received all-league, all-county and All-2A recognition three straight seasons, has signed a letter of intent with Division II Rockhurst.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 5-8 junior, moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Emmot, who led the T-Birds to a 14-8 record, also earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors this past season after averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.2 assists while connecting on 46 3-pointers.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-10 senior, Gragg was an All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for the third straight season after helping lead Seaman to a 24-1 record and a runnerup finish in Class 5A. Gragg, also a three-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goal attempts and shooting 83 percent from the free throw line while hitting 39 3-pointers.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a 5-7 senior guard, led Silver Lake to a 23-3 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament this past season after helping the Eagles post a perfect 26-0 record en route to the 3A state championship in 2024. Hanni was a repeat All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection as well as a repeat first-team all-league pick. A Fort Hays State basketball signee, Hanni is a multi-sport standout, earning first-team all-county honors in golf this fall.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn junior Mackinly Rohn (24) and the Ichabod soccer team will compete in their third straight NCAA Tournament on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University
A junior guard, Bachelor scored 23 points on 7 of 13 shooting with three 3-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws in an 95-63 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead and had 14 points with five assists and three 3s in an 88-57 in over Winona State as No. 2-ranked Washburn went 2-0 in the Central Regional Challenge at Pittsburg to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Mason Becker
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker, a junior, scored a 71-yard touchdown on a pass reception from Connor Hanika, rushed for 78 yards on 9 carries, went 5 of 5 on extra-point attempts to improve his season PAT streak to 61 and averaged 44.5 yards on two punts as Hayden improved to 11-0 with an 43-29 home Class 3A state quarterfinal win over Jefferson West.
Autumn Gibbs
AUTUMN GIBBS, Washburn University
A junior volleyball player, Gibbs came up big in Friday's 3-1 home MIAA win over Central Oklahoma. After Washburn, now No. 7-ranked, dropped a 25-23 first-set decision, Gibbs jump-started her team with six straight service points, including three aces, at the end of the second set to give WU a 25-22 win before it closed out the match with 25-19 and 25-16 wins. Washburn took a 3-0 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith the following day to earn a share of the MIAA regular-season championship.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
If a stranger happened to sit down during a conversation between veteran high school coaches Kevin Bordewick and Steve Alexander, it might be difficult to immediately ascertain whether the two were even friends, let alone best buddies for nearly four decades.
Kevin Bordewick begins his 17th season as Washburn Rural's girls head coach and his 33rd in the program on Monday. [File photo/TSN] 
Steve Alexander, introducing Kevin Bordewick for Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame induction in 2023, will serve as a Washburn Rural assistant coach this winter. [File photo/TSN]
But that's understandable considering the fact that the unshakable bond between the two men is based in part on making sure that the other one never thinks they've gained the upper hand in their decades long back and forth.
That fierce loyalty, almost always tinged with wit and maybe a touch of sarcasm, is likely to be evident at times this winter as Bordewick and Alexander re-visit their coaching roots while sharing the bench for the Washburn Rural girls basketball team.
And Bordewick, who began his coaching career as Alexander's assistant in boys basketball at Class 1A Blue Valley-Randolph, said he's waited a long time to get the chance to turn the tables and boss his friend around.
"Heck yeah. This is payback after 35, 40 years,'' Bordewick joked. "I've got a lot of ammo, a whole warehouse full.''
For his part, Alexander admits that some of that payback may actually be deserved.
"When Kevin was my assistant, he was coaching the JV game and I'm sitting three rows back behind the bench doing stats or something,'' Alexander recalled. "There was some call and I lost it and I throw my clipboard and it bounces down to the floor.
"I went down to the floor to get it and (Bordewick) got T'd up because I wasn't on the bench. He tells the refs, 'I don't even know that guy.' But they go, 'You do, too. We know that's the head coach.' ''
Bordewick remembers the incident well.
"I was already voicing my displeasure with the call and then there's this clipboard that flies by me on the stairs and I get a technical,'' Bordewick said.
"Being his assistant I really re-thought maybe I should have become a computer programmer or maybe I should have gone into visual arts, maybe movie production or something. I really re-thought my career.''
Bordewick eventually took over the girls programs for the Rams in basketball, volleyball and track but he and Alexander remained together at Blue Valley for five years before Alexander moved on to Seaman and Bordewick had a brief two-year stint as boys coach at Oskaloosa before becoming a staple in the girls volleyball and basketball programs at Washburn Rural.
Both Alexander and Bordewick credit close friend Bill Annan, now a women's assistant at Division I Oral Roberts for getting them to Topeka. Annan served as a boys assistant at Seaman before Alexander took on that role when Annan moved to Washburn Rural to guide the girls program.
Bordewick came on to board and served as Annan's assistant for 16 years, including three Class 6A state championships, before Annan moved on to college coaching and Bordewick succeeded him with the Junior Blues.
Fast forward and Bordewick is starting his 17th year as the Junior Blues' head girls coach, with 12 Class 6A state tournament appearances, eight final fours, two state titles and two runnerup finishes, while Alexander is joining Bordewick at Rural after 24 seasons with the Seaman girls as head coach and eight years as an assistant, leading the Vikings to a 5A state title game as a head coach and on the bench for the school's state championship run in 2024.
