Basketball Culture in Kansas

Let there be no doubt, this is basketball country. KU, ranked #1, is pretty much always ranked. K-State is now #7 in the nation!

Sure, it's an anomaly to have both teams ranked so high, but basketball brings this state alive. Even our Div II schools such as Washburn are solid programs.

But why doesn't that trickle down to high school? Prep basketball should be to Kansas what prep football is to Texas. It should be loaded with heated rivalries and huge turnouts, schools should pay plenty for the best coaches, and scouts from the major schools should all come here to find their future stars.

KU's Tyrel Reed of Burlington is one of my favorite players -- a smart player with speed and a great jumper...and he's a native. Speaking of anomalies, Tyrel shouldn't be one.

The founder of basketball coached here, our college teams are amazing, and yet the basketball culture doesn't kick off until kids reach their freshman year in college.

Then again, with the number of parents crowded into Sportszone here in Topeka on game nights, love for the game is on display. Let's get that enthusiasm pumped into the high schools too!