• The Washburn Ichabods will open the 2020-21 season by jumping right into MIAA play as they travel to Hays (America), Kan. to face the Fort Hays State Tigers on Nov. 19.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 16-13 season from 2019-20 and a fifth-place finish in the MIAA standings.
• The 2020-21 season marks the 116th season of Ichabod basketball.
• Washburn was picked third in the MIAA preseason coaches poll that was released on Nov. 10.
• The Ichabods will be playing a 22-game, MIAA-only regular season schedule because of COVID. The game with Kansas on Dec. 3 will be an exhibition game for the Ichabods.
• The Nov. 19th tip-off of the MIAA schedule marks the earliest the Ichabods have played a conference game in program history.
• Washburn will open its home slate on Nov. 30 against Central Oklahoma. The Ichabods will then have an exhibition game at Kansas on Dec. 3 returning to MIAA play against Newman on Dec. 5 in Lee Arena.
• Hello again … first-year Ichabod assistant coach Jonathan Raney is a Fort Hays State graduate earning his master's degree in health and human performance in 2011 from Fort Hays State and his bachelor's degree in information networking and telecommunications in 2004. Raney played the 2001-03 seasons at Fort Hays State going 44-15 overall with an NCAA Tournament appearance his senior year en route to all-RMAC honors playing for current Tiger head coach Mark Johnson.
  • The 2020-21 Washburn Ichabod basketball season will be one for the record books as the 22-game schedule will consist of only games against MIAA opponents as regional crossovers and non-conference matchups have been scrapped thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• From a 16-13 team last season, Washburn returns four starters and 91 percent of its scoring, 86 percent of its rebounding, 94 percent of assists and 89 percent of minutes played a year ago while adding a returner from the 2018-19 season who returns from an injury.
• The Ichabods return four starters off of last season's squad led by all-MIAA selections Tyler Geiman and Jonny Clausing. Geiman, a senior yards, was a first team selection after becoming only the second Ichabod in program history and one of only seven in NCAA Division II last season to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists when he averaged 15.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 5.5 apg.
• The longest-tenured Ichabod has played in 88 career games making 60 starts scoring 845 points averaging 9.6 ppg and he is second all-time at Washburn with 396 career assists raking 10th at Washburn in career 3-pointers with 149.
• Clausing, a junior forward, started all 29 games averaging 10.1 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game en route to honorable mention all-MIAA honors and his 1.7 blocks per game led the MIAA.
• Also back is Jalen Lewis who was second on the team in scoring after averaging 13.1 ppg starting all 29 games hitting 68 of 174 3-point attempts scoring double figures in 20 games overall.
• Washburn's final returning starter from last season is senior guard Drew Maschoff, who started 27 games playing in 28 and averaged 10.5 points per game with 4.9 rebounds per game adding 2.4 assists per game. Senior forward Rathen Carter, who started 14 of 24 games, averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg is also back.
• Returning after missing the 2019-20 season is junior forward Will McKee who started 29 games playing in 31 scoring 6.2 points per game with a team-leading 5.5 rebounds game.
• Sophomore guard Connor Deffebaugh made three starts playing in 26 games overall averaging 4.5 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game.
• Senior forward Jace Williams will join the Ichabods earlier than in years past because of the postponement of football season to the spring. Williams played in 23 games averaging 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
• Also back is sophomore guard Tyler Nelson who played in all 29 games averaging 5.4 points per game with 1.7 rebounds per game.
• Junior guard Isaiah Thorne who appeared in 13 games recording 38 points returns.
• Senior guard Shannon Cordes played in nine games is back as well.
• Levi Braun who sat out last season as a redshirt will see time.
• The Ichabods will have talented freshmen who are new to the program.
• Forward Cade Blevins averaged 16 ppg and was the league and district player of the year honors adding first-team all-league, all-district also earning second team all-Ozarks and Class 4A all-state accolades leading team to district title as a senior.
• Forward Zach Davidson earned first team all-league and second team all-state honors after averaging 15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 1.9 apg helping team to a final four appearance and a 19-4 record before the season was canceled because of COVID.
• Guard Michael Keegan averaged 19.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and shot 57 percent from the field earning all-area, first-team all-league and first-team all-state honors as a senior in Iowa.
• Guard Nate Lacey averaged a double double as a senior with 17.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg adding 3.2 assists and 1.9 blocks per game earning second team all-Montgomery county honors in Maryland.
• Guard Azeem Ross averaged 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks a game earning all-league and all-district honors as a senior in Texas. • The Ichabods return high percentages in all major categories for the 2020-21 season.
Percentage of Scoring __________________________ 91.1 (1956/2147)
Percentage of Rebounds _________________________ 86.0 (892/1037)
Percentage of Field Goals ______________________ 90.8 (1542/1699)
Percentage of 3-Point FGs ________________________ 88.6 (233/263)
Percentage of Free Throws _______________________ 88.7 (309/348)
Percentage of Assists _____________________________ 94.1 (398/423)
Percentage of Steals _______________________________ 87.7 (150/171)
Percentage of Blocks _________________________________ 89.4 (84/94)
Percentage of Minutes _________________________ 89.1 (5191/5825)
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
• is 62-31 in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 95-61 overall in his seventh year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to two NCAA postseason appearances in both seasons at Washburn.
• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2017 after spending the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Wake Forest basketball program after working under head coach Danny Manning 2014-17 seasons and at the University of Tulsa during the 2012-14 seasons.
• he helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season following the 2016-17 season.
• while at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane played in the postseason both years, including earning a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Tulsa also participated in the 2013 CBI, finishing that season with a winning record of 17-16 overall.
• before joining Manning at Tulsa, Ballard spent two seasons as the head basketball coach at Baker University going 33-30 overall, including a 21-12 mark in his final season at the helm in 2011-12.
• prior to taking over the head coaching position at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at Kansas, his alma mater.
• he played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College in his hometown of Hutchinson, Kan. In his two seasons as a Jayhawk, the team reached the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and appeared in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
• he earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003 earning an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior for his efforts in the classroom.
• is 5-0 against Fort Hays State.
 
FORT HAYS STATE HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON
•    is the all-time coaching wins leader in FHSU history with a career record of 373-186 in his 20th season at FHSU, ranking among the top 30 active NCAA Division II men's basketball coaches in winning percentage (.667).
•    has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his time at FHSU.
•    became the all-time wins leader in Fort Hays State history on January 11, 2014 in a victory at home over Lincoln University, recording his 258th win.
•    he reached his 300th career win on February 13, 2016 in a victory at Missouri Southern.
•    has coached four All-Americans, 54 all-conference selections, a conference player of the year, a conference freshman of the year, and three conference defensive players of the year in his time at FHSU.
•    is 14-16 against Washburn.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
MISSOURI WESTERN 72 (18-13)
WASHBURN 61 (16-13)
March 6, 2020
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods came up just short in a two-point, season-ending loss to Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals falling 72-70 to the Griffons. The Ichabods finish the season 16-13.
Trailing by nine at 70-61 with 5:20 to go, Jalen Lewis jump started a 9-0 run over the next four minutes pulling Washburn within two with after his third 3-pointer of the evening with 54 seconds to play. However the Ichabods would get no closer coming up empty on their next two possessions with a turnover and missed shot at the buzzer ending the season for Washburn.
The Ichabods trailed 43-40 at the break as the Griffons hit 52 percent of their shots including six 3-pointers.
Lewis led five Ichabods in double figures with 18 points while senior Keven Biggs scored 14 points off the bench in his final appearance in an Ichabod uniform. Drew Maschoff scored 13 adding seven rebounds. Tyler Geiman had 11 points with six rebounds and six assists and Jonny Clausing had 10 points with 14 rebounds recording his fifth double double of the season.
Tyus Millhollin had 21 to lead all scorers.
Washburn outrebounded the Griffons 50 to 35 in the game recording 19 offensive rebounds. The 50 rebounds was a season high.
  • The Tigers were 14-14 last season and 7-12 in the MIAA.
• The Tigers return leading scorer from last season in Jared Vitztum who averaged team-highs of 14.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg. •     Washburn leads the all-time series 97-70 and Thursday's meeting will be the 168th between the two schools.
•     The Ichabods have won 14 of the last 18 in the series and the last five overall.
•     In Lee Arena, the Ichabods are 22-7 all-time against Fort Hays State going 9-12 in road games since joining the MIAA.
•     The series is the third-most played for Washburn behind Emporia State (216) and Pittsburg State (183).
•     Fort Hays State is 5-2 against WU in overtime games.
•     The Ichabods are 3-0 against Fort Hays State in the MIAA Tournament including a 77-53 semifinal win in the 2018 event in Kansas City. 
  Jan. 18, 2020 -- HAYS, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods held off a furious final 15 seconds as Fort Hays State missed two three-pointers in the final five seconds as the Ichabods held on for a 75-72 win over the Tigers snapping a two-game losing streak while winning their fifth in a row over FHSU on Saturday afternoon in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
With 15 seconds to go, Drew Maschoff hit both free throws turning a 73-72 lead into a three-point lead at 75-72. On the FHSU next possession, the Tigers missed two 3-pointers and the Ichabods held on for the win.
Washburn. (9-7, 4-3 MIAA) led by as many as 11 in the second half, and after a jumper by Maschoff putting the Ichabods up 73-66 with 1:30 to play, the Tigers scored six straight points cutting the lead back to one leading to the two free throw makes by Maschoff.
Propelled by back to back to back 3-pointers by Tyler Geiman, the Ichabods took a 34-26 lead into the locker room. Washburn, who led at one time 14-4 with 13:26 to go found themselves tied at 21 and 24 with under two minutes to play before the Ichabods finished the half on a 10-2 run paced by Geiman's three 3-pointers.
Geiman led the Ichabods with 15 points hitting 5 of 7 shots and 4 of 5 from 3-point rage adding eight assists and five rebounds. Jace Williams had a career-high 14 points hitting 6 of 7 shots and Maschoff finished with 12 points adding five rebounds.
Jared Vitztum had 21 points to lead the Tigers (7-9, 1-7 MIAA) adding 10 rebounds.
Washburn shot 48 percent from the field in the opening half and went 5 of 10 from the free throw line while the Tigers were 9 of 12 from the charity stripe. Overall for the game for the Ichabods were at 53 percent going 27 of 51 from the field after hitting 58 percent in the second half. The Ichabods were 10 of 20 from the free throw line while the Tigers were 16 of 20. The Ichabods finished 11 of 23 from 3-point range while the Tigers were 8 of 22.
Washburn was outrebounded 33 to 23 in the game as the Tigers had 11 offensive rebounds. The Ichabods had 16 fastbreak points compared to three for the Tigers.
  • The Ichabods are 1602-1090-2 all-time in the 116th year in the program's history.
• Washburn is the 10th-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
• Washburn is the winningest MIAA program since the 1989-90 season with an overall record of 620-287 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 28 20-win seasons and they have one 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season.
• Washburn has won 21 conference championships including 10 MIAA titles.
• Washburn has received 12 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  • The Ichabods are 455-94 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2020-21 season marks the 37th season of play in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • After facing Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 21, Washburn will open its home slate on Nov. 30 against Central Oklahoma. The Ichabods will then have an exhibition game at Kansas on Dec. 3 returning to MIAA play against Newman on Dec. 5.