AfterShocks reloaded: Wichita State alumni team poised for TBT redemption
Marcus Keene once imagined silencing the Koch Arena crowd. Now he’s hoping to make it go wild.
The former NCAA scoring champion and TBT veteran headlines what might be the most talented AfterShocks roster in the team’s six-year run.
Keene once helped eliminate Wichita State’s alumni team in 2019. Now he’s the centerpiece of a team aiming to win the $1 million prize.
“I was on the opposite side wanting to shut the crowd up,” Keene said. “Now I want to get the crowd pumped. I’m going to sleep at night thinking about hitting 3s and the gym exploding.”
Keene is one of several seasoned pros suiting up for the AfterShocks’ opener in The Basketball Tournament, set for 8 p.m. Friday against No Excuses, a Houston-based pro-am team. The game will stream free on YouTube with tickets available at GoShockers.com.
Keene never played for WSU, but he brings serious TBT credentials. He led Sideline Cancer to the 2020 final, has multiple All-TBT honors and averaged 14.9 points and 4.4 assists last season in Greece. When he announced his availability, forward Leyton Hammonds quickly reached out to bring him aboard.
“The aura (of Keene) and all of that is cool, but when you get down to it, his ability to shoot the basketball is so big,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “He is a high-level point guard and it’s proven by the leagues that he’s played in and he’s made a lot of money doing it. To have that caliber of player is huge and I think his style is going to be really entertaining for the fans.”
After making three straight Elite 8 runs before last summer’s second-round exit, this feels like a pivotal summer for the AfterShocks. Back at Koch Arena for the sixth time — where they’ve gone 12-4 — Bush believes this is their most talented team yet.
But fans may notice something different.
Conner Frankamp, Rashard Kelly and Markis McDuffie return as the core trio and they’re the only players who finished their careers at WSU. Trey Wade played two seasons for the Shockers before transferring to Arkansas. The rest of the roster is made up of proven pros with no Shocker ties, but plenty of professional credibility.
“This is for sure one of the most talented teams we’ve ever had,” Frankamp said. “As long as we can come together and know our roles, I think we’ll have a good chance.”
Keene may be the headliner, but another newcomer has been turning heads in practice: 6-foot-4 wing Nike Sibande, whose athleticism has wowed teammates this week in Wichita.
The former Pitt standout averaged 17.3 points in last summer’s TBT for Zoo Crew and has impressed overseas in Spain and Turkey.
“Nike is serious, man,” McDuffie said. “He’s crazy athletic.”
“To be honest with you, Nike might have been our most important pickup,” Bush said. “His athleticism is what we really needed. He’s just a great dude, a great teammate with no ego. And he’s absolutely loving it here so far. He’s always smiling ear to ear and talking about how we’re going to win it all and then he wants to come back and do it again next year.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the newcomers on this summer’s roster.
Chevez Goodwin, a 6-9 pogo stick forward, had a 22-point, 17-rebound game in last year’s TBT. He played last season in Spain, Greece and Taiwan and brings energy in the paint.
James Woodard, a 6-3 sharpshooter and Tulsa alum, returns after helping the 2022 AfterShocks reach the Final Four. He shot 38% from three last season in Poland and averaged 11.3 points.
Leyton Hammonds, a 6-8 forward and Oklahoma State grad, has quietly produced in Europe, averaging double figures in both France’s and Turkey’s top leagues over the past year.
Marcus Santos-Silva, a late arrival, joined the team on Wednesday. At 6-7 and 250 pounds, the former Texas Tech and VCU forward brings physicality after averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in Israel this season.
The biggest challenge isn’t talent or depth. It’s chemistry.
“We’re really talented and that’s a big thing,” Keene said. “But that doesn’t always matter in TBT. We have to play together and we have to stick together. If we do that, we’ll be alright.”
Bush has seen stacked rosters fall early, while tight-knit teams survive. That’s why veterans like Kelly are urging teammates to stay aggressive and trust their work.
“At any point in time, we’ve got multiple guys who can go get you a bucket,” Kelly said. “We’re encouraging guys to be aggressive and just be who they are. This is what you put your 1,000 hours into. So don’t hold back now.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 6:01 AM.
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