Years later, together again: AfterShocks one win from storybook TBT ending
The roar felt all too familiar, like it did in March all those years ago. But it was the last night of July.
The Roundhouse was rocking, the AfterShocks were rolling and the 5,212 fans in Koch Arena made it sound like it was packed to the rafters again. On the sideline, two former Wichita State walk-ons stood shoulder to shoulder, absorbing a moment they never imagined reliving.
J.R. Simon caught the eye of Zach Bush. No words, just a knowing smile. Two best friends and former teammates, nearly a decade removed from graduation, somehow back experiencing meaningful basketball in Koch Arena in front of a fan base that cared just as much of them.
“Man, it was like the old days,” Simon said. “And I know it wasn’t even sold out, but the crowd was booming like there were 10,000. I just looked at Zach and was like, ‘This is awesome.’”
On Thursday night, the AfterShocks clinched a long-awaited trip to the championship game of The Basketball Tournament with a 66-54 win over We Are D3. The win set up a $1 million showdown at 3 p.m. Sunday on FOX against Eberlein Drive.
For the core of Wichita State alumni, it was the realization of a dream six summers in the making.
“This feels like it’s been a long time coming for us,” said Wichita native Conner Frankamp. “We knew this was our best team yet and this was our best shot playing at home. Who knows if this is our last run, but we finally have a chance to win it all. We couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”
Sacrifice paves the way for AfterShocks
The journey to Thursday night began back in December.
That’s when Bush started texting former players, gauging interest and planting seeds. Convincing players to spend part of their offseason in Wichita, when many are home for the only time all year, is no easy sell.
While Bush handles the roster, assistant coach Garrett Stutz takes care of everything else: flights, hotels, meals, payments, practice schedules. A 7-footer turned logistics guru, Stutz makes the whole operation hum — quietly, efficiently and without complaint. Brad Pittman, WSU’s event management specialist, also has played a key role in the AfterShocks’ success hosting at Koch Arena.
“It means so much because we care so much about this place,” Bush said. “We spent so much time here in front of these fans in this building. We went through hardships and triumphs and it’s so gratifying to be able to give back to the fans who gave us so much.”
The players have made their share of sacrifices, too.
Rashard Kelly and Markis McDuffie rearranged travel plans just to make it back in time for games. Frankamp, usually a sparkplug scorer, is gutting through games with limited mobility due to injury. Trey Wade hasn’t seen the minutes he hoped for, but his teammates say he’s been the ultimate gluy guy — supporting, encouraging, competing.
They’ve all bought in. Because they believe in something bigger.
The Shocker way
There’s a deeper purpose to the AfterShocks than just basketball.
There’s pride in being a Shocker and pride in how they play: gritty defense, tough rebounding and a relentless edge.
“We could come here and lollygag and play around, but we’re showing what we learned in those four years and we’re bringing it to summer basketball,” McDuffie said. “We’re doing the things that Shocker fans loved us for. We know what it takes to win from playing here.”
The numbers tell the story: five games, five Elam Ending leads. The AfterShocks have never trailed in crunch time. Their defense is suffocating, allowing just 60.8 points per game, the second-best mark in the tournament. And they’ve done it with balanced scoring, not just one or two players.
The roster may only feature four WSU alumni this summer, but the lineage runs deep. Every Shocker player and coach on the team has won a conference title at Wichita State. The timeline stretches from Stutz on the 2012 MVC champs, to Simon and Bush on the 2014 juggernaut, to the 2015-17 title run featuring Kelly, McDuffie and Frankamp, and even the 2021 AAC title with Trey Wade.
Even with just four former Shockers on this year’s team, the DNA of Wichita State basketball is unmistakable.
With current Wichita State players soaking in the experience from the stands, the AfterShocks hope they are paying attention.
“We just want to pass the torch and get the buzz back in here,” Kelly said. “Hopefully these new guys can see this style of play and our intensity level and see how much the fans appreciate that.”
Koch Arena, TBT’s beating heart
The AfterShocks weren’t the first alumni team in TBT, but they were the first to prove what this summer tournament could be.
While other fan bases treated it like a summer sideshow, Wichita showed up like it was March Madness.
TBT founder Jon Mugar, who was once again in the building Thursday to take in the electric environment, admits he has always had a soft spot for Wichita.
“As soon as we stepped foot in Koch Arena, we saw how special this fan base was,” Mugar said. “I love how educated they are here and what they cheer for. There truly is nothing like the Wichita fan base, in my opinion.”
It’s no accident Wichita has hosted the majority of the 10 most-attended games in TBT history and that the AfterShocks are a staggering 16-3 at home the last five summers.
Even though Thursday’s crowd didn’t break records, Sunday might. After the final buzzer, fans rushed the box office and snapped up more than 2,000 tickets — already surpassing past TBT championship crowds, all played on neutral courts.
“Most people don’t get to do something like this,” Bush said. “Even in the good regionals in TBT, there’s very few who experience something like this and the amount of times we’ve experienced it.
“Every time I walk out, I take a deep breathe and look around and just think, ‘This is so cool.’ It’s incredibly special to be able to do this with guys who are like family to me.”
It just means more in Wichita
For Marcus Keene, Sunday is personal.
He’s not a Shocker. But in just a few games, the TBT veteran has been fully embraced by Wichita — cheered for his swagger, admired for his flair and accepted as one of their own.
Five years ago, Keene was the star of Sideline Cancer, carrying that team to the 2020 TBT championship game, only to fall short in an empty gym during the pandemic.
This time, the Roundhouse is behind him.
“I can’t let this one slip away,” Keene said. “Now I’ve got the crowd behind me, the energy. I can’t let these fans down.”
For the Shockers, this run has never just been about a trophy or money. It’s about legacy, honoring their past and reconciling with time.
Thursday night didn’t end with confetti or champagne. There were no viral celebrations, just a moment of joy in a packed locker room. Players sat in a circle, surrounded by their children, partners and parents. Laughter bounced off the walls, conversations overlapped, old teammates reunited by something deeper than basketball.
It was nothing particularly memorable, but Kelly, with his son and partner by his side, made sure to soak it all in. To him, it was sacred. Not because of what they were doing, but because of how it made him feel.
Back when he signed up to play for the AfterShocks in 2019, he was fresh out of college, eager for his professional career and unsure of what life had in store next. As he looked around the room on Thursday, he saw former teammates who are now veterans. They’re now fathers. Their games have evolved and so have their lives, but they’re back in Wichita to play for the school, city and each other.
Whether or not the AfterShocks win, Kelly savored the moment like it might be the last.
“Man, this is a moment you can’t take from us,” said Kelly, who pulled in his own son for a hug. “We’ve been grinding for this for a long, long time. It’s just surreal to see our families here, it’s just a blessing. A real blessing.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 7:05 AM.
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