Royal senior and reigning SCAC Player of the Year Grant Wardenaar will stay close to home to play collegiately.

The left-handed Wardenaar, who averaged more than 30 points in the regular season last year, announced on social media that he will play basketball at Central Washington.

He’ll be joined in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference by fellow Knights standout Graycie Kast, who committed to play at Alaska Anchorage.

Wardenaar led Royal to a third-place finish in March at the Class 1A state tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome. It was the Knights’ best finish since a runner-up finish in 1976.

Royal returns much of its roster from last season, and likely will be one of the contenders for the state championship this coming winter.

Wardenaar also is the starting quarterback for the Knights football team, which has won 51 straight games and the last six 1A state championships and are ranked No. 1 in the VarsityWA state rankings.

His plan is to just play basketball at CWU.

The Wildcats finished the 2025-26 season in a four-way tie for fourth place in the GNAC at 9-9 in conference play, and 16-15 overall.

Kast topped the Knights with 16.5 points per game in the regular season after transferring from Moses Lake.

She was a first-team all-SCAC selection last winter in helping the Knights to a third-place finish in the SunDome, their first trip to state in 25 years.

Royal advanced to the semifinals at state, and defeated perennial power Lynden Christian in the game for third and fifth place. It was the Knights best finish since winning the 1977 state championship.

With Kast and sophomore Lauren Wardenaar, also a first-team all-SCAC pick who averaged more than 16 points per game, leading a strong core of returning players, Royal figures to challenge for a state championship.