Summer Sneak Peak – Topeka Players and Changes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some Topeka schools gathered last weekend for a series of scrimmages. It wasn't the big jamboree held at Topeka West last year that attracted Junction City, Washburn Rural, Hayden and Manhattan. But it did provide a sneak peak at some of the city's schools. So we'll use this as a chance to look at the three Topeka Public Schools in attendance (in no particular order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Topeka High:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Noticeably absent from the Trojans roster were two important prospective players coach <strong>Geo Lyons</strong> would surely like to have. Creative playmaking guard <strong>Bryson Thrasher</strong>, who averaged 10 points as a junior, was in the gym, but he was wearing a different team's colors. Big man [player_tooltip player_id='1270302' first='BJ' last='Canady'], still working his way back from injuries, is apparently foregoing basketball to focus on football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans still have guards [player_tooltip player_id='1953953' first='Isaiah' last='Lyons'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1300813' first='Da'mykel' last='Hales'], but will need more than that if they are to improve on their 3-19 record. They featured a tall post in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624975' first='Daniel' last='Brown']</strong>, who appears to be about 6-foot-4. They also can look forward to contribution from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1443739' first='Jalen' last='Freeman']</strong>, who saw significant playing time for Seaman as a junior. One guy to watch will be senior <strong>Miguel Villeagas</strong>, a creative guard who provided the Trojans the most spark in the scrimmage. He hit from deep, and made some plays in the paint. He made nice moves around the goal, including using his body to get shots off against defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Highland Park:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Scots return a number of pieces from last year's third place 5A finish. But the problem is, will this group have the size and top-end talent that group had? The most experienced and talented player back is unquestionably [player_tooltip player_id='1588346' first='Jacorey' last='Robinson'] (pictured), who stood out as the best player at the event. Guard <strong>Jamon Wilson</strong> looks in control at the point and fellow junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1512900' first='Mikey' last='Williams']</strong> is a playmaker. But that leaves a lot of questions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, lights-out shooter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2314813' first='Tamir' last='Anderson']</strong> was not at the scrimmage. With some of the movement that takes place over the summer, it remains to be seen if he will be in the fold. The Scots did pick up Thrasher, who appeared to be in the top five for the Scots. He will bring some scoring ability and athleticism to the lineup. Another transfer who could contribute is senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624997' first='Mister' last='Cameron']</strong>, who brings the kind of shifty ballhandling and creative passing that fits the Scots' mold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seeing a lot of playing time at the scrimmage was senior guard <strong>Amari Taylor</strong> and sophomore <strong>TJ Austin.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Topeka West:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers have a lot of questions to answer as well. They bring back some contributors on the front line that could give them a size advantage in the city. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2209764' first='Keimani' last='Paul']</strong> is one of the top sophomores not just in Topeka but the state. <strong>Caleb Noonoo</strong> is another big who has experience and can lock down the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those two returners were joined at the scrimmage by bigs <strong>Kamoni Ford</strong> and <strong>Ja'Vian Chambers</strong>, rising juniors who got some playing time last year. Missing was <strong>Malakyah Duncan</strong>, a 2026 who has looked good in summer action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guards will be all new next season, and leading the way at the scrimmage was <strong>Jalen Foy</strong>, a 2025 who made a lot of plays handling the ball, shooting it from deep and defending.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->