Former Wichita star helps Washburn to unbeaten start, No. 1 D2 basketball ranking
When Wichita native Jacob Hanna was in the transfer portal trying to decide where he was going to spend his final year of his college basketball career, he wanted to be on a team where he could make a difference.
After a standout three years at Illinois-Springfield, the 2021 Maize graduate garnered interest from Division I teams, but his curiosity was piqued by Washburn — a Division II program located in Topeka, which would be a 2-hour car ride for his family.
Hanna sensed the Ichabods were on the cusp of something great with the majority of their players returning from a 19-win season and he could help make a difference. So he turned down his Division I dream for the chance to be a part of something great.
The fit could not have been better, as Hanna has supplied exactly what Washburn needed to transform from a good to great team. In fact, Hanna is averaging 14.9 points and 5.5 rebounds and the Ichabods currently sport a 19-0 record, off to their best start in program history, and are ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II entering Thursday’s MIAA showdown against Fort Hays State.
“When I first got here, we talked about how we could be one of the best teams in the country and now we are ranked as the best team in the country,” Hanna said. “It’s been a testament to all of the hard work we have all put in. We have the right group of guys and I don’t think this is going to be the end of our ride this year.”
Washburn coach Brett Ballard figured his squad could be good this season, but thought the team had a chance to be special with the right addition from the transfer portal.
It didn’t take long for Hanna to become the top priority given his past production, his Kansas roots and the Wichita connection with assistant coach Nick Jones, a Wichita native who spent eight seasons on the staff at Wichita State.
“He was our number one target, but honestly I thought it was a long shot because I figured he was going Division I,” Ballard said. “But we worked it hard and we were very fortunate to get our top guy. It’s hard when you transfer and come in your first year because everything is new from the style of play to the verbiage to the team. There’s a lot of stuff that is thrown at you, but Jacob has been unreal with how quickly he’s picked things up and how quickly he’s fit in.”
Washburn already had a core group who had been together and won together before, as Brayden Shorter (16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds), Andrew Orr (14.1 points), Jack Bachelor (13.1 points, 5.6 assists) and Michael Keegan (9.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals) are all returners from last season.
But the team welcomed Hanna in and it didn’t take long for the Wichita native to feel like he had been playing together with them for years.
“It’s hard coming into a good team when you’re new because they already had their chemistry and they’re used to playing with each other,” Hanna said. “But the guys did a really good job of welcoming me and building that friendship on and off the court. It’s a great group.”
Washburn plays fast and efficiently with a top-20 scoring offense and a 51.8% field goal percentage as a team, while also maintaining a top-20 scoring defense. Only one game this season has been decided by single-digits and that was an 81-73 win over William Jewell.
Hanna has spearheaded the team’s defense with his length and athleticism along the perimeter, while also injected another dynamic scoring option for the team at the other team. He recently scored a season-high 26 points in a 121-73 win over Newman.
But when asked what makes this Washburn team special, Ballard doesn’t hesitate.
“This is the tightest group I’ve had off the court and I know that doesn’t always translate to wins, but man, these guys are extremely close,” said Ballard, a former KU player and staffer who is in his eighth season at the helm in Topeka. “You can tell with how they play together on the court. It’s a really unselfish group that trusts each other. When you have high-level talent that trusts and is unselfish, then that’s a recipe to have some success.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 8:27 AM.
.jpg)