The first black Topeka High basketball team, the Cardinals, started in 1929, and the Ramblers started in 1935. In 2009 the school looked back at the historic separation of the teams. Former UNC coach Dean Smith came back with a number of others that were associated with the Ramblers to discuss the team's history. There is no separation of the teams now, and is currently one of the most diverse basketball teams in Topeka. In the 2009–10 basketball season they were shown to be a lot stronger than past seasons after beating cross-town rival, Highland Park High School, the defending state champions for the past three years. The 2009–10 team is coached by Pat Denney.