TBT’s return to Koch Arena gives Gregg Marshall unique chance to watch former players
Gregg Marshall has led the Wichita State men’s basketball program to unparalleled success.
With a string of seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four and a Sweet 16, Marshall’s 325 wins in 13 seasons is more than any other Shocker coach.
But the Shockers also have a history of championship-level basketball, with its first Final Four coming in 1965. When discussing where the program is today, Marshall makes sure the conversation goes back to the roots.
“I didn’t build it,” Marshall said. “I’m just the steward. This thing was built way before me. Cleo Littleton and Ralph Miller and those guys, they built it. That’s when people started going to the games back at The Forum, even before that probably.
“Me, the players, we’re all just passing through. This program was way before us and will be long after.”
The Basketball Tournament last summer gave Marshall a unique experience, watching a team comprised entirely of his former Wichita State players at Koch Arena. Marshall was part of the record-breaking crowd that more than doubled the TBT attendance record, a reason why the TBT announced Tuesday that it will be returning to Koch Arena this coming summer.
Marshall said the parking lot was so packed last summer that he even got his car door dinged.
“It’s the first time I’ve been at Koch Arena watching an event like that with such a rooting interest, other when I go see some volleyball,” Marshall said. “That was fun.”
Last year, The Aftershocks won their first game but dropped out of the tournament in the second round. Players like Cleanthony Early, Conner Frankamp and Shaq Morris were among the most recognizable Shocker alumni to come back to Koch Arena.
Former Shockers Karon Bradley and Zach Bush led the team on the organizational side, and Marshall said he hopes even more players will be available to compete this time around.
“We were a couple of guards light, I thought,” Marshall said. “But if we get those guys like Joe Ragland, Tekele Cotton and maybe Ron Baker now, it would really do a lot for our fortunes.”