Every Kansas high school state basketball title game is coming to Wichita
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- Class 2A semifinals and finals will be at Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson.
- Koch, Heartland Federal Credit Union and Garvey Center will host Wichita-area games.
- Quarterfinals in 2026–2028 will use multiple sites with winners advancing to Wichita.
For one March weekend in 2028, the center of Kansas high school basketball will be Wichita.
KSHSAA announced Thursday that the semifinal and championship rounds of the 2028 boys and girls state basketball tournaments will all be played in the Wichita area, creating a concentrated championship hub unlike anything the state has seen in decades.
Koch Arena at Wichita State, Heartland Federal Credit Union Arena in Park City and the Garvey Center at Friends University will host games in Wichita, while Hutchinson Sports Arena at Hutchinson Community College will also be part of the regional footprint as the host site for the Class 2A boys and girls tournaments.
It will mark the first time since 1945 that every Kansas high school basketball championship game will be played this close together, giving fans a rare chance to bounce between venues, watch multiple classifications and experience a state tournament weekend that feels closer to a statewide basketball festival than a scattered championship schedule.
The change comes after KSHSAA member schools requested that championship tournaments be consolidated into fewer sites.
“State championship tournaments feature Kansas student athletes on the biggest stage for the most important games of their season,” KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick said in a release. “With all games in the greater Wichita area, fans will be able to support the best of the best in the pursuit of the ultimate prize in high school sports while witnessing the thrill of victory in their choice of the 14 championship tournaments.”
The full class assignments for each Wichita-area venue have not yet been announced. KSHSAA said schedules and ticket information will be released closer to the event.
The move continues a major shift in how KSHSAA stages its state basketball tournaments. Beginning with the 2026 and 2027 seasons, the quarterfinal rounds will be played at multiple sites across Kansas, with the winners advancing to the semifinal and final rounds.
Those opening-round sites for 2028 will remain Kansas City Kansas Community College, White Auditorium in Emporia, Koch Arena, Friends University, Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina, Kansas Wesleyan University and United Wireless Arena in Dodge City.
But the final stop will belong to Wichita.
“We’re incredibly proud and excited to welcome all classifications of the KSHSAA Boys & Girls Basketball State Championships to the Wichita region in 2028,” Josh Howell, vice president of sports development at Visit Wichita, said in a release. “Wichita has hosted KSHSAA championships for many years, and bringing every classification together across the region at the same time is a tremendous opportunity for our community and for basketball fans across Kansas.”
For teams that survive the quarterfinal round, the road to a state championship in 2028 will all lead to the same part of the state. For Wichita-area basketball fans, it will offer something even rarer: nearly every state title race within driving distance on the same weekend.
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 4:22 PM.
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