Two more of Rick Bloomquist’s former assistants land local head coaching jobs

TOPEKA (KSNT) – A pair of Rick Bloomquist’s former assistant coaches have both secured their first head coaching positions.

Marco Hunter, the new head boys’ basketball coach at Holton High School, and Dwayne Anthony, the new head boys’ basketball coach at Hayden High School, both spent several years with the Kansas legend at Topeka West. Hunter was there for 12 years and Anthony for six.

When Coach Bloomquist retired following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, it prompted both assistants to seek their other opportunities.

“The time that I was there, our staff has been blessed,” Anthony said of Topeka West. “Bloom really assisted us, and now we’re ready to spread our wings.”

There are now five former Bloomquist assistants who have head coaching positions in the area. Rossville boys’ head coach Brandon McDonnell, Highland Park boys’ head coach Mike Williams and Topeka High boys’ head coach Geo Lyons also spent time on Bloom’s staff.

Hunter and Anthony were both named to their new roles in June.

“His persistence and his dedication, his passion not just for basketball, for kids,” Hunter said of what he’s learned from Bloomquist. “I want to bring that. He’s taught me a lot about the game of basketball … He’s always said basketball’s an analogy to life and I truly believe that, because it’s more about teaching than it is coaching.”

Hunter hopes to mirror the quick, up-tempo style of play of Topeka West teams, while putting his own spin on things. In addition to fostering a competitive environment, his goal is to make Holton basketball “fun to watch.”

Meanwhile, Anthony plans to build on what he calls Hayden’s “championship DNA,” while instilling what he’s picked up from Coach Bloom over the years.

“I was talking with [Bloomquist] last week and was like, ‘Coach, they might think it’s a Topeka West practice if they came in,’” Anthony said. “He showed me so much. He gave me different philosophies, he allowed me to grow. He gave me confidence because he allowed me to make mistakes and just worked me through those things.”

Hayden is a 3A program while Holton is a 4A, but there’s a good chance the two former Chargers will run into each other in the same gym in the near future.

“That’s my brother, we’ve been through a lot,” Hunter said of Anthony. “We’ve had some pretty low times in the game, we’ve had some high times in the game. So, it’s going to be fun. If the opportunity presents itself and we get to play each other, it’ll going to be an exciting, packed gym.”