Washburn men’s basketball coach Brett Ballard was seriously injured in a car crash Tuesday night in Topeka, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol crash log.
The log said Ballard, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka after the accident at mile marker 183 on Interstate 470. WIBW reported that the crash was reported at 8:17 p.m. Tuesday along the Kansas Turnpike on I-470 just west of the Interstate 470-Interstate 70 split.
Ballard was driving a Ford F-150 truck in the westbound lanes on Interstate 70 “when it left the roadway and went to the left, struck a delineator post, the embankment, and then a bridge pillar,” according to the crash log.
On Wednesday morning, Washburn University President JuliAnn Mazachek released a statement through WIBW.
“We are deeply saddened to share that Coach Brett Ballard was seriously injured in a car accident last evening,” Mazachek said. “Our hearts are with Coach Ballard, his family, the men’s basketball program and all who are affected during this difficult time.
“We ask our community to keep them in their thoughts during this time of recovery and to respect the family’s privacy. The university will share additional information when appropriate.”
Ballard’s basketball path is a familiar one in Kansas. He played on Roy Williams’ 2002 Final Four team at Kansas, then stayed on Bill Self’s staff and climbed from volunteer student assistant to director of basketball operations. After that, he coached at Baker University and later joined Danny Manning’s staffs at Tulsa and Wake Forest.
Washburn hired Ballard before the 2017 season, and he has guided the Ichabods to five NCAA postseason tournament appearances in eight seasons. He is 167-79 at Washburn.
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