Former Shocker Teddy Allen to play at Koch Arena for new Wichita pro basketball team
Teddy Allen never played a game in a Wichita State uniform, but the former Shocker will finally have a chance to play basketball at Koch Arena in front of WSU fans.
Allen, who recently completed his college career at New Mexico State last season, has signed to play this upcoming season for the Wichita Skykings, a new minor-league basketball franchise that was officially launched on Tuesday.
The team will compete in The Basketball League and play their home games at Koch Arena during a season that will stretch from March to June.
“He loves Wichita and he was so excited to be able to come back to WSU,” Skykings coach Sean Flynn said. “He knows there was hype leading up to him playing and a letdown when he didn’t get to play for the Shockers. There were a lot of people in Wichita who took him under their wing and worked with him when he was there and he respects that. When he reflected on his college career, he knows some of the best learning and some of the best growth he had was when he was at Wichita State. So there’s definitely some unfinished business here for Teddy.”
Allen spent the 2018-19 season at Wichita State as a redshirt, but he never played a game for the Shockers after being dismissed from the team in the summer of 2019 following an arrest.
After stops at Western Nebraska Community College and Nebraska, Allen became a full-fledged college basketball star in his final season playing for former Shocker assistant Chris Jans at New Mexico State, where the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 19.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. He famously scored 37 points to help the 12th-seeded Aggies knock off fifth-seeded Connecticut.
Since finishing his college career, Allen has moved to Austin, Texas, to live with his younger brother, Timmy, a starter for the Texas Longhorns.
“When I got the nod to do this, I mentioned to our owner that Teddy Allen is the most talented player in the country right now out of college who is not in the NBA or G-League,” Flynn said. “I really wanted to go hard at Teddy and recruit him to come here and then be that spark to help him get a look at the next level. We want to be that buffer for him between New Mexico State and maybe Europe or the G-League or even the NBA because I think Teddy is that talented.”
Flynn believes signing Allen and playing games at Koch Arena will prove to prospective talent and those in the Wichita community that the Skykings are serious about winning big and delivering entertainment.
The venture is being funded by owner Ben Hamd, a 31-year-old founder of Brookwood Capital Advisors, a retail development company currently redeveloping the Brittany Center in Wichita. In an email to The Eagle, Hamd said “having real estate capital means we can provide the best fan experience, the best players and even some fun surprises.”
According to Hamd, Brian Baumgartner, who is known for playing Kevin Malone from hit television show The Office, will be the celebrity available for a meet-and-greet during the team’s season-opening game at Koch Arena in March.
“Ben is an incredible owner and he picked Wichita for a reason,” Flynn said. “He invests here for a reason because he knows how great the people are here and he wants to invest in the community. So that’s why he’s not only investing in our team, but also in personnel. That’s why we’re going to be able to go out and get some really great players who could be going to Europe, Canada, Australia.”
Flynn said most of Wichita’s roster will be finalized in February, targeting players under the age of 25 who just wrapped up college careers at the Div. I or Div. II level. Playing in TBL is the perfect opportunity for players who are looking to use it as a springboard to playing professionally overseas.
As a veteran coach in the junior college basketball world (he was the head coach at Pratt Community College before resigning in 2021), Flynn sees many similarities between his responsibilities as a junior college coach and as a TBL coach.
“We want to give guys the chance to get film for the G-League, get film for Europe, get film for Australia,” Flynn said. “Our schedule really works out well because if you don’t have a job in Europe by January, then we’re hoping they can come play with us until June and then the pro stuff starts back up in August and September. We hope to give these guys a good experience and then help them move on, similar to what I did (at the junior college level). We want guys to max out at the level they are at and then push them onto the next level.”
The Skykings will compete in TBL’s Central division, which includes teams from Enid, Okla., Shawnee, Okla., Little Rock, Ark., Rockwall, Texas, and Shreveport, La. The last two TBL champions have come from the division with Enid winning in 2021 and Shreveport taking the 2022 title.
As for local flavor, Flynn also draws the comparison to his days coaching in the Jayhawk Conference. For local players interested in trying out for the team, they are encouraged to email ben@wichitaskykings.com.
“We want to have the best team possible, but if you look at some of the best teams in the Jayhawk, they always have a couple of Kansas kids out there playing a lot of minutes because it means something more to them,” Flynn said. “If you’re from Wichita, you’re going to go a little harder because it’s a pride thing.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
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