‘We want more’: AfterShocks win again but call out empty seats at Koch Arena
The roar isn’t what it used to be.
And the AfterShocks feel it.
For a team that helped transform summer basketball into a spectacle at Koch Arena, the empty seats were hard to ignore on Sunday. Even after the Wichita State alumni team advanced to another Sweet 16 of The Basketball Tournament with a dominant win, the scoreboard wasn’t the main focus — it was the crowd.
“It was good, but not good enough,” former Shocker Rashard Kelly said. “We’re thankful, but we want more.”
Just a few years ago, Wichita was the epicenter of the TBT, routinely drawing more than 4,000 fans and hosting eight of the 10 most-attended games in tournament history. But this past weekend’s crowds barely cracked half that.
Attendance for the first two games hovered around 2,000, a visible and audible drop that left players puzzled.
“I’m going to be honest, I’m very disappointed in the Wichita State fans,” said Markis McDuffie, one of four WSU alums on the roster. “You see Kentucky and Louisville selling out. We can’t start fading now that we’ve been doing it this long.
“We were the ones who started it with amazing crowds, so we can’t fall off now because this might be the best group that we’ve had.”
Despite the dip, Wichita remains one of TBT’s strongest host cities. Because it outdrew Kansas City in ticket sales, Koch Arena is in line to host a potential Elite 8 game next Monday — if the AfterShocks win Tuesday’s Sweet 16 showdown with Houston’s Forever Coogs. Tickets are available to purchase through GoShockers.com.
But the spark that once made July basketball electric at the Roundhouse? It’s flickering.
Fewer Shockers, fewer fans?
One possible reason: The AfterShocks no longer resemble a true WSU alumni team.
What began with mostly Shockers sprinkled in with a few non-alumni has gradually evolved into more of a blended all-star squad. This year’s group features just four former Shockers: Kelly, McDuffie, Conner Frankamp and Trey Wade. The rest are imports, albeit talented ones like Marcus Keene and Nike Sibande, who scored 25 points in Sunday’s win.
Some fans miss the nostalgia. But players believe the influx of talent is a result of the very environment those crowds helped build.
“That’s a selling point for us to get guys like Nike,” Kelly said. “He could have played with anybody. But we told him how much the community supports, how Koch Arena gets rocking, and it’s like a college atmosphere.”
Sibande, a standout last summer for Pittsburgh’s alumni team, said Wichita’s crowd reputation helped lure him in.
“It’s been great being here in Wichita so far, but I’m really looking forward to this game on Tuesday,” Sibande said. “They told me it gets crazy in here. It’s been good so far, but I know we can take it to another level as far as the atmosphere. I watched a lot of different highlights and clips of how it gets in here and the support is crazy.”
Players plead for Tuesday surge
Tuesday offers a chance to revive the Roundhouse energy.
The AfterShocks’ opponent, Forever Coogs, is a retooled version of last summer’s TBT runner-up and features J’Wan Roberts, a starter on the Cougars’ recent NCAA Tournament finalist team. It’s also possible former Houston standouts like Rob Gray and Mylik Wilson could suit up for the first time on Tuesday.
Factor in the history between WSU and Houston from their American Athletic Conference days and it’s the kind of marquee matchup built for a rowdy crowd.
“The people who came to this tonight had a bast,” Bush said after Sunday’s win. “Ask any one of them. And the more people that come, the more fun it is. What more could you want on Tuesday? It’s a high-level opponent, former conference rival coming off a national championship game. This should be a big-time atmosphere, so this is a call to all of Wichita: we need you, get in.”
Bush pointed to his team’s first regional final run in 2021, a 69-65 win over Challenge ALS, as the gold standard.
“That crowd was electric,” he said. “You see teams get a little bit tighter. Open 3s don’t feel quite as open. That rim feels a little bit smaller. And then every time we get a stop, the roar of the crowd fueled us. That’s why we want that so badly.”
The clock is ticking
The reasons for the attendance dip are murky.
Maybe it’s fatigue. Maybe the novelty has worn off. Maybe fans miss seeing a full alumni roster.
But the opportunity to bring the buzz back is still there — and team believes it’s worth fighting for.
“The people who came to this tonight had a blast,” Bush said. “Ask any one of them. And the more people that come, the more fun it is.”
The summer tournament has provided many unique memories for WSU fans over the years. Who could forget Wichita native Conner Frankamp, as stoic as they come, sprinting around Koch Arena in pure, unfiltered joy after hitting an Elam Ending winner in 2021, as the crowd lost its mind around him?
There’s something about the Roundhouse that brings out the best in the home team, which is exactly why the players are so eager to feel that energy again.
“It’s out of this world when Koch is rocking,” he said. “It makes all of these guys play better, play to the best of their ability once they score and they hear that crowd going.”
The AfterShocks are doing their part in putting an entertaining product on the floor, winning their first two games by a combined 40 points. They’ve built a 13-3 record at Koch Arena under Bush, in no small part due to their home-court advantage from the fans.
Now, they’re just hoping for one more throwback night. One more true Roundhouse roar.
“Let’s have some fun on Tuesday,” Kelly said.
This story was originally published July 21, 2025 at 6:01 AM.
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