EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Hutchinson native and former Hutchinson CC and KU basketball player Brett Ballard collected his 200th victory as a men’s basketball head coach Tuesday, March 25 in Washburn’s NCAA DII Elite Eight win over Lenoir-Rhyne 90-78 in Evansville, Ind., sending the Ichabods to the Final Four.
Ballard started his tenure at Washburn in 2017 following stints as an assistant coach at the DI level at Tulsa and Wake Forest. The ‘Bods are having their best season under Ballard, currently with a 30-3 record. The 30 wins are the second most in a single season in program history behind the 1986-87 season when Washburn won the NAIA National Championship with a 35-4 record. The team won their first MIAA Regular Season Title under Ballard with a 17-2 conference record.
The Hutchinson native graduated from Hutchinson high School in 1998 before starting his playing career at Hutchinson Community College. After two season, Ballard transferred to the University of Kansas where he played from 2000-’02. In his final season at KU, Ballard helped the Jayhawk win the Big 12 Championship and reach the Final Four.
Lawrence is also where Ballard’s coaching career began as he was named a Volunteer Assistant in Bill Self’s first year in 2003-04. Following that season, he stayed at KU as the Video Coordinator through 2008 and the Director of Operations through 2010. Ballard got his first head coaching gig at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., where he coached for two seasons. In his first year at Baker, he led the Wildcats to its first Heart of America Conference tournament appearance since 1997 and their first NAIA Tournament appearance in nearly two decades. After the 2012 season, Ballard found work at the NCAA DI level with under former co-worker and KU basketball legend Danny Manning, working as an assistant under Manning at Tulsa from 2012-14 and at Wake Forest from 2014-17.
The Sunflower State called Ballard’s name again in 2017 as he found his next home in the capital city of Topeka as the new head coach at Washburn University. Ballard’s hire came after the retirement of Bob Chipman, who coached the Ichabods for 38 years and who finished his career as one of the winningest coaches in basketball history with 808 career victories. Chipman coached the 1987 NAIA National Championship team and saw their transition to the NCAA in 1990, where he sent Washburn to three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and finished as national runners-up in 2001.
Ballard filled Chipman’s shoes immediately, sending Washburn to the NCAA DII tournament in four of his first five seasons, but Washburn had not gone further than the second round until 2025. Washburn won their first 22 games before losing two straight matchups. Their only loss since that mark was in the MIAA Conference Quarterfinals against Central Oklahoma. The Ichabods hosted the three NCAA Central Regional games, getting past their competition in front of a sold out Lee Arena to send them to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Ind. Washburn defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University to send them to their third NCAA DII Final Four.
Washburn will play Nova Southeastern University Thursday, March 27. If Washburn wins, it will send them to their second NCAA DII National Championship game in school history.
