Summer Sneak Peak – Topeka Update Continued

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last weekend, three Topeka schools got together for a series of scrimmages. We covered those three schools - Highland Park, Topeka High and Topeka West - <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/07/summer-sneak-peak-topeka-players-and-changes/">in a feature on Monday</a>. Let's pick up the theme by taking a mid-summer look at the other schools in the Capital City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hayden:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A year removed from a state-tournament run, the Wildcats appear to have lost a ton from the team that went 12-12 last year. The big loss, obviously, is the loss of coach <strong>Dwayne Paul</strong>, who moves to Free State. Hayden turns the reins over to <strong>Trey Brown</strong>, a Shawnee Heights grad who coached Cair Paravel last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graduation brings the illustrious end of <strong>Joe Otting</strong>'s career. An all-state candidate on the hardwood, he now moves on to the Notre Dame gridiron. The Wildcats also bid farewell to warrior <strong>Jake Muller</strong>, a multi-sport star and quiet leader.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Making matters much worse, 2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1530221' first='Ayden' last='McGibboney']</strong> is moving to Kanas City for his sophomore year. He was a talent to build around in the future. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624997' first='Mister' last='Cameron']</strong> practiced with Highland Park in the recent scrimmages, so he is apparently no longer a Wildcat either.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats return some nice guards in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1300863' first='Jacob' last='Padilla']</strong>, <strong>Dominik Ridley</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1630972' first='Jacob' last='Deister']</strong>. But Coach Brown will have some rebuilding to do.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Washburn Rural:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nearly every team in the city was hit hard by graduation. Though Washburn Rural loses all-state guard <strong>Jack Bachelor</strong>, they actually may return the most talent of any school in town. They lose a couple of solid forwards in <strong>Wyatt Conklin</strong> and <strong>Jacob Hirschi</strong>. But there's a lot of talent returning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading next year's group should be a solid guard tandem of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1962887' first='Amare' last='Jones']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2169833' first='Kaden' last='Ballard']</strong>. Those two combined for 12 points and 4 assists as sophomores. They will spend a lot more time on the court together next season. Size and power will be found in some combination of <strong>JC Heim</strong>, <strong>Griffin Durst</strong> and <strong>Max </strong>and <strong>Sam Bettis</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shawnee Heights:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returning the best one-two punch in the city is Shawnee Heights. [player_tooltip player_id='1371482' first='Brennon' last='Dodge'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1588383' first='Jaret' last='Sanchez'] (pictured) are capable of scoring from anywhere and will give the T-Birds some serious firepower. Add in senior <strong>Jayden Holly</strong>, a 6-foot-3 forward who really crashes the boards, and you have a nice nucleus to build around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A player to watch for the T-Birds is 2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1890719' first='Ontarius' last='Emmot']</strong>, a big guard who really impressed in spring action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seaman:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings had a really nice senior tandem in <strong>Kaeden Bonner</strong> and <strong>Aron Davis</strong>, but both experienced some injury issues in their final season. A new crop will have to step into those roles. Also departing is wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1443739' first='Jalen' last='Freeman']</strong> who practiced with Topeka High at the weekend's scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Look for 2026 <strong>Kaevon Bonner</strong> to step into his brother's leadership spot. As a freshman he contributed 8 points and 2 boards, and that production will certainly increase. <strong>Braden Chapman </strong>and <strong>Bryar Finley</strong> will have the opportunity to step up as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cair Paravel:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cair Paravel showed two seasons ago it can put together a state-caliber basketball team. But now the Lions will start with a new coach after Brown took the Hayden job. They hired <strong>Chip Kueffer</strong> this summer to lead the program. We don't know a lot about the Lions after they struggled to an 8-12 mark last season other than that they return second-team all-league pick <strong>Evan Will</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->