06/30/2026
‼️MEET OUR STAFF‼️
🏀 HEAD COACH - MIKE TANKING 🏀
Coach Tanking is a 2002 graduate of Jackson Heights High School and a 2006 graduate of Ottawa University, where he competed for four years in both basketball and track & field.
In addition to leading the high school boys program, Mike is actively involved in skill development opportunities with the Holton Youth Basketball Association, helping invest in the future of Holton basketball from the ground up. He is a big believer in competing, and developing student-athletes into great humans both on and off the court.
This is Coach Tanking’s first high school head coaching opportunity, after previously coaching the 7th grade girls at Holton Middle School.
Mike's full-time job is an accountant and he is the owner of Holton Tax Services. He has four children - Lili, Westin, Kyla, and Emmett.
🏀 ASSISTANT COACH - TAYLOR SMITH 🏀
Coach Smith is a 2010 graduate of Holton High School and a 2016 graduate of Washburn University.
Taylor brings more than 11 years of coaching experience, including six seasons at the junior high level and five seasons at the high school level. Most recently, he served as the head boys junior high coach at Mission Valley.
Previously, Coach Smith was the head boys basketball coach at ACCHS, and he also gained valuable experience as a high school assistant coach at Washburn Rural.
Coach Smith has built a reputation for developing players and creating a positive team culture, with a focus on competing. He plans to assist with skill development opportunities for the youth in the community through the Holton Youth Basketball Association.
Coaching runs deep in the Smith family. Taylor's father Garry was a long-time successful coach in Northeast Kansas, with stops at Midway-Denton, B&B Baileyville, Jackson Heights, Wetmore, and Hiawatha. Taylor's brother Justin is the boys basketball coach at Rock Creek, his brother Travis is the boys basketball coach at Clay Center, and his brother-in-law Michael Glatczak is the football coach at Nemaha Central.
Taylor will be a Special Education Teacher at Holton High School this fall. He and his wife Megan have two sons - Greyson and Jayson.
