Former KU guard Brett Ballard paving successful head-coaching path at Washburn
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ballard restored sustained success, elevating Washburn to recent DII powerhouse
- Team has top‑five defense and a top‑20 high‑tempo offense
- Ballard’s KU pedigree and success make him a potential Division I candidate
Inside newly renovated Lee Arena, Washburn basketball is a hub of entertainment on game nights.
Fans, students and loved ones of the athletes pack the 4,150-seat venue to watch some of the best NCAA Division II basketball in the country. The Ichabods’ men’s and women’s programs have storied, winning traditions and both teams sit atop the MIAA standings this season.
Their dazzling play captivates the city, and has for some time now. They boasted the highest home attendance in all of Division II hoops last season.
Former Kansas Jayhawks guard and assistant coach Brett Ballard has been at the helm of the men’s program for nearly a decade. He has crafted his own tradition as a winning head coach.
On a cool Thursday night in February, the ‘Bods face a tough task: They’re returning home after having a 22-game win streak to open the 2025-26 season snapped by Central Missouri. (The visiting Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions, sitting third in the conference, snapped their 22-game win streak last season.)
The Lions began the game with tough defense and intensity, outmatching their nationally ranked hosts. Washburn (ranked third in the nation in the coaches poll and first in regional rankings) thrives offensively off continuous ball movement and motion, a style of play inspired by Ballard’s former Hall of Fame head coach in Lawrence, Roy Williams.
Fort Smith countered the Ichabods’ system with defensive aggression, protecting the paint while forcing turnovers and missed shots throughout the first half. But the ‘Bods eventually wore down their visitors, countering their aggression with penetration in transition and free throws. They also knocked down some wide-open shots thanks to their smooth ball movement.
After going into halftime down by a point, Washburn ran away from Fort-Smith in the second half and started another streak with an 81-53 victory. Two wins later, Washburn (27-1) clinched its second straight MIAA regular-season title with three games remaining until the conference tournament.
The MIAA tourney is hosted annually at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
“I think the biggest compliment that when people come to watch my team plays, (they say) ‘Coach, your teams were tough and they competed,’” Ballard told The Star. “I want our guys to compete and play with a level of toughness, and then I hope we play with some discipline behind that.”
Ballard, 46, succeeded longtime Washburn coach Bob Chipman, who led the program to an NAIA national championship in 1987 and runner-up finish in 2001 The court inside Lee Arena is named in Chipman’s honor.
Ballard was a member of the KU’s 2002 Final Four team and then became a volunteer assistant on current Kansas coach Bill Self’s first Jayhawks staff in 2003. He worked his way up for nearly a decade, reaching directer of operations before taking his first head-coaching position at nearby Baker of the NAIA.
In 2012, Ballard guided the Wildcats to their first NAIA national tournament appearance in nearly two decades. He later worked as an assistant on KU great Danny Manning’s staffs at Tulsa and Wake Forest before Washburn tapped him in 2017.
Washburn reached the D II tournament just twice in Chipman’s last 12 seasons. Ballard helped bring continuous success back to Topeka immediately.
The Ichabods have played in the tournament five times since Ballard arrived. They’ve made four MIAA title-game appearances in the last seven seasons, winning it all in 2021.
But the Ichabods’ biggest breakthrough occurred last season, when they went 30-4 and reached the Division II Final Four. With a dynamic system, dedicated players and infectious energy, Ballard has created a basketball powerhouse.
“There was a history here winning and a commitment to back the basketball program,” he said. “I wouldn’t have probably taken the job if it wasn’t for that, so it was in a pretty healthy place.
“For me, I was just trying to continue to elevate it ... we haven’t been unbelievable, but I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here over the course of time. And obviously the last two years have kind of taken another step to kind of get to a different stratosphere.”
How it feels to play for Washburn under Ballard
Some coaches call each other thieves when they replicate another’s system or traits outright. Others absorb and learn from the smarter coaches who came before them, then craft their own brand of hoops.
Ballard is one of those coaches who has taken pieces of inspiration from many areas of his life.
The toughness and competition of teams under Self. Free-flowing, fast-paced offense of teams under Williams. The ability to dissect the game and teach it like Manning. Ballard even took some inspiration from football, admiring the discipline and toughness of national champion Indiana.
But most of all, he brings energy — to every meeting, practice and shootaround. And his players seem to love it.
“He’s just different. He brings the intensity every day,” sophomore forward Dillon Claussen said.
The big man with range leads the Ichabods in scoring at 15.8 points per game after coming off the bench his freshman year.
“He never gets complacent with one win,” Claussen said of Ballard. “He’s always looking for things we can improve on. And when he has that energy and brings it every day to practice, it’s contagious, and it makes us want to do the same thing.”
“I think he’s really good at getting the best out of everybody and really pushing people to be the best that they can be at this level,” senior guard and Blue Valley West alum Sam Ungashick. “I think that he is really good at being able to get all of us to play really hard and depend on each other for energy.”
Energy is needed to play in Ballard’s system, on both sides of the ball. The Ichabods’ frenetic defense that moves to the ball ranks top-five in the nation, holding teams to 62.2 points per game and forcing nearly 18 turnovers per contest.
“It’s really fun to play the defense,” Ungashick said. “I’m always just reading eyes and reading the ball ... We don’t have to fight through ball-screens. We don’t have to do any of that stuff as guards, and that’s a lot easier on us. But this is definitely the most fun, the most fast-paced, and the way that we play offense is everybody can get a shot anytime.”
Washburn’s offense ranks among the 20 best in the nation averaging more than 86 points per game and boasting close to 60% efficiency from the floor. Ballard keeps his game plans simple, allowing his players to play freely and with the belief that together they have the ability to beat any opponent.
“He’s one of the most competitive dudes I’ve ever met,” junior guard Jack Bachelor said of Ballard. “We always talk about, ‘Go give as hard as you can for four or five minutes. Then, you have a sub coming.’ There’s no dropoff from starters to bench or whatever, so and that’s a huge advantage ...”
Washburn went into last year’s national tournament as a 1-seed, allowing the Ichabods to host a regional before advancing to the Elite Eight. They’re aiming for that same path, except this time they hope to lay claim to the program’s first NCAA title.
Ballard’s pedigree and track record stand to make him a candidate for a Division I head-coaching job eventually. But his family is firmly settled in the area right now and he gets to coach his freshman son Kaden, a Washburn guard.
He doesn’t see himself leaving the Kansas capital. At least for now.
“I feel like I have the best or one of the best Division II jobs in the country right now, and my daily quality of life is amazing,” Ballard said. “I have no hurry to leave.
“Eventually, would I like to explore those opportunities? Potentially. I think potentially that could be on the horizon. But right now, again, I’m very, very happy with where I’m at, trying to keep my focus here.”
