Who are the non-Shockers on the AfterShocks? The TBT scouting report for the players
A common question for Wichita State fans when watching the AfterShocks play in The Basketball Tournament will be: Who are the non-Shockers on the team?
The nostalgia will be strong for WSU fans watching past Shocker greats swishing three-pointers and dunking again at Koch Arena, but AfterShocks general manager Ron Baker and head coach Zach Bush are confident they will also enjoy the games of the three players who didn’t graduate from WSU.
Before the AfterShocks begin their quest to win the $1 million prize at 8 p.m. Friday against the Ex-Pats, an opening-round TBT game broadcast on ESPN2, here is a scouting report of the three non-Shockers on the roster: David DiLeo, Damonte Dodd and Tyrus McGee.
David DiLeo
Vitals: A 24-year-old stretch forward who is 6-foot-8 and 224 pounds.
College career: He is the MAC and Central Michigan all-time leader in three-pointers for a career (337). He played all four years at CMU (2016-20) and averaged 11.9 points for his career with his best season coming his senior year: 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 threes per game at a 40% clip.
Pro career: In his rookie season, DiLeo played for UCAM Murcia in the top Spanish league. He averaged 8.1 points and made 37% of his threes and 91% of his free throws.
AfterShocks connection: Teammate with Conner Frankamp at UCAM Murcia in Spain.
Self scouting report: “Mainly I’m a shooter. I like to stretch the floor and shoot with range. I love knocking down threes, all types of threes. Other than that, I just love basketball, so anytime I get to step on the court I take it as a blessing and give it my 100%. I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do. Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
Frankamp scouting report: “David is going to help us a ton. He can really, really shoot it. He’ll definitely be one of the best shooters on the team. He plays hard and I think he’ll fit in perfectly for us.”
On playing in front of WSU fans: “I watched those games (back in 2019), so I know the place was packed. I’m excited to see it for myself. I know I’m going to love it. I’m expecting the same thing this year. For us, it’s exciting because over in Spain, we played all of our games in front of no fans in empty arenas. So to come back here and play in front of an almost full house in front of a fan base that’s so passionate about their alumni, I think it’s going to be really special. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Damonte Dodd
Vitals: A 27-year-old center who is 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds.
College career: He finished No. 8 on Maryland’s career blocks list (138). He played all four years at Maryland (2013-17) and averaged 3.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for his career. His best season came his senior year: 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks in just 19.5 minutes per game.
Pro career: After playing in the G League his first year as a pro, Dodd has since played in Poland and the Czech Republic. In his last pro season, 2019-20, Dodd averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds for Svitavy in Czech Republic’s top-tier league.
AfterShocks connection: Played in the same AAU organization (DC Assault) as Rashard Kelly and was later his teammate at Massanutten Academy.
Self scouting report: “At Maryland, I was mostly just a shot-blocker type of guy and a little pick and roll. Then I went overseas and I kind of developed my outside game. I have good touch, but mainly I just try to stick to the basics. Set hard screens, roll hard, catch, finish, find shooters. Whatever my team needs me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Kelly scouting report: “Damonte is a big man who is efficient and is just a good, tough big man. He plays hard and he hustles a lot. He’ll get us rebounds and blocks and he communicates.”
On playing in front of WSU fans: “I’ve always wanted to come and play in Wichita. I haven’t talked to (Maryland coach Mark Turgeon, who used to coach at WSU), but I’m going to have to do that now. It’s cool seeing Wichita previously in tournaments on TV. They have great fans and seems like basketball is huge here. It’s cool to be able to come back and play in front of this many fans and hopefully give them a good show.”
Tyrus McGee
Vitals: A 30-year-old combo guard who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds.
College career: He won the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award his senior year at Iowa State after averaging 13.1 points off the bench and leading the country in three-point percentage at 46.4%. After two years at Cowley County, McGee had a successful two-year stint at Iowa State from 2011-13. His senior year, he made 2.7 threes per game and shot 49% from the field.
Pro career: Since graduating from Iowa State, McGee has played seven professional seasons — many in Italy’s top-tier league. He put up the best stats of his pro career this past season in Israel’s top league, where he averaged a career-high 18.1 points and 3.3 assists and made 44% of his three-pointers for Hapoel Holon.
AfterShocks connection: He has the same professional agent as Rashard Kelly. Also good friends with former Shocker Joe Ragland.
Self scouting report: “I think I proved two years ago what kind of player I am (when he scored a team-high 24 points for Iowa United against the AfterShocks). I think people know by now that I’m a three-point shooter. So the plan for me is to come out here and show that I still got it at the age of 30.”
Kelly scouting report: “Tyrus has got a lot of heart. He can really shoot the ball and he can even play above the rim. He’s very efficient and can be a go-to scorer for us. I think we’re going to rely on him in those 1-on-1 situations. He can catch and shoot or put it on the floor and create a shot for himself or others. We’re going to be looking for him to get a lot of looks.”
On playing in front of WSU fans: “It’s going to be great. It’s going to give me a lot of energy, enough where I could go crazy. I’m looking forward to Friday. As a shooter, I loved hearing the away crowd go, ‘Ahhh’ I’m ready to hear the cheers this time around. I think I’ll enjoy that.
Wichita TBT Regional schedule
Friday
Game 1 — No. 6 Team Arkansas vs. Fort Worth Funk, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 2 — No. 7 Purple & Black vs. No. 10 Omaha Blue Crew, 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 3 — No. 3 Challenge ALS vs. No. 14 We Are D3, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4 — No. 2 AfterShocks vs. Ex-Pats, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday
Game 5 — No. 5 Florida TNT vs. No. 12 Kimchi Express, noon (ESPN3)
Game 6 — No. 4 LA Cheaters vs. No. 13 Mental Toughness, 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 7 — No. 1 Eberlein Drive vs. No. 16 NG Saints, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 8 — No. 8 The Enchantment vs. No. 9 Stillwater Stars, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Sunday
Game 9 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 10 — Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 11 — Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 12 — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
Tuesday
Game 13 — Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 14 — Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
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