Coaches and players said they were excited about a new rule allowing basketball teams to play more games in the 2025-26 season.
Basketball teams will now be allowed to play 23 games. They have been allowed to play only 20 games in the past. KSHSAA approved the set of new rules by a 36-25 vote in September.
KSHSAA also approved a new rule allowing baseball and softball players to compete in up to 32 games this season. Varsity teams can still only schedule 26 games, the same as last season, but players can switch between junior varsity and varsity games to reach their maximum of 32.
Members of the baseball and softball teams said the new rule would allow them more flexibility.
Girls basketball head coach Brandon Parker said he was all for players getting the chance to play more games. Any time students are on the court, it can help them improve, he said. The new rules will help make that a possibility for more players throughout the season.
Parker said time on the court is the most valuable way to develop younger players, and the new rules will give the team more time to devote to different players. That can be especially helpful for a young team.
“Adding three isn’t a huge jump, but again, it gives them some more opportunities to play,” Parker said. “I like the idea of kids getting the opportunity to be on the court more.”
He said the changes helped put Kansas more in line with other states. Missouri allows basketball teams to play 26 games, according to its 2023-24 basketball manual. In Nebraska, teams play 18 games plus two tournaments.
The rule changes will come with some tradeoffs. Parker said it will adjust the way the team practices. Having more weeks where the team plays three games means less practice time and more tired players.
But he said three additional games fit into a sweet spot of creating more student opportunities without going overboard.
“I think what they’ve done with three is pretty fair to be able to add, but not go crazy, you know?” he said.
One concern with adding games, Parker said, is exacerbating the shortage of officials for high school games. Athletic Director Cara Kimberlin said this was her biggest concern when she heard of the additional games.
“All we hear as athletic directors is: ‘We’re short officials. We’re short officials. We’re short officials,’” she said. “So we’re short officials, but now we’re going to play more games in a season with not enough officials?”
Another concern is that more games mean more time students aren’t in class.
Kimberlin wasn’t surprised the new games were added. When KSHSAA increased the number of games in the baseball and softball season last year, Kimberlin said she assumed other sports would quickly follow.
“Once you do this increase of the number of games you can play in a season for one sport, then every other sport can be like, ‘Wait, hold on, what about us? Why don’t we get to do this?’” she said.
Despite the increase in basketball games making Kansas’ schedule more similar to some nearby states, Kimberlin said she was hesitant for KSHSAA to make decisions based on what other states do.
“I think it’s important that we just take a look at what is good for the kids of Kansas,” she said.
The most convenient way to add the three games is by playing in an early-season tournament. Kimberlin and boys basketball head coach Tyler Cleveland said they think this would be the most likely situation next season.
Cleveland said an early season tournament would help the team evaluate where it is at earlier in the year. He agreed that 23 games is about as much as he would want. Adding too many more could hamper the team’s ability to practice.
“In practice, you kind of see how they can play,” he said, “but it’s good to watch them go up against other teams in a game setting, to see how kids respond.”
Sophomore Brynn Deterding said the new rules will allow the team to play a couple of games early in the season, which could help them build more chemistry.
“Having more games with each other and playing with each other will help build more confidence in everyone,” Deterding said. “I think it will help just us all play better together.”
She said she isn’t too worried about the additional workload of three more games. More responsibility is always challenging during a busy season, but Deterding said she and her teammates have built up habits for balancing class work with on-the-court responsibilities.
“I think that’s very beneficial to our team. We get it done in the classroom first, and it shows on the court,” she said.
KSHSAA also approved a rule allowing wrestlers to compete in more events that start before 3 p.m. Wrestling head coach Miles Cleveland said the change wouldn’t affect the Cardinals much because they don’t compete in many events starting that early.
Softball head coach Bill Finucane said he loved the new rule allowing baseball and softball players to compete in more games. Despite the season staying the same length, the new rule will allow coaches to move players between varsity and junior varsity levels much easier.
Finucane said it would offer more chances for players to compete at the varsity level and help build more cohesion across teams.
The most valuable benefit, he said, is increased experience for younger players. It can help give them time to adjust to a higher level of softball before working for a full spot on the varsity squad.
Senior baseball player Braeden VanDonge said the rule will help younger players get a taste of the varsity game earlier in their careers, helping ease their nerves as they make the transition to the varsity team.
“I don’t think they’ll have as much pressure on them if they’ve seen the varsity field,” he said.
For players like VanDonge who already play on the varsity team, the rule will have less effect. But he said it would help the whole team to have young players looking to step up and play varsity games.
Finucane said the new rule will help strengthen the team. Because the Cardinals have so many talented upperclassmen, it can be hard for younger players to earn a crack at the top level. The new rule will help the coaching staff see players in different situations.
“This just makes it a lot easier to manage that,” he said. “And to, again, get more players that opportunity to experience what the varsity level is like. And again, I’m a huge fan of the state doing this. I just think it makes it better all the way around.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
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