AfterShocks awaken the Roundhouse with TBT championship and record crowd
When the AfterShocks launched in 2019, no one knew if it would be more than a summer fling.
Few could’ve imagined what summer basketball inside the Roundhouse might become — how it could reignite a fan base starved for championship moments, how it might jolt Koch Arena from a five-year slumber.
But on a Sunday afternoon in August, Wichita remembered.
Backed by a near sellout — the largest crowd inside the Roundhouse in more than five years — the AfterShocks overwhelmed Eberlein Drive 82-67 to win The Basketball Tournament championship and claim the $1 million prize.
“This is a surreal feeling, man,” said former Shocker Rashard Kelly, who has been with the AfterShocks every summer since 2019. “We brought a championship back to Wichita. We brought the fans back to Koch Arena. I think the city missed this. So right now, we’re just feeling so grateful. This was special.”
More than that, they reminded Wichita what high-stakes basketball feels like when it’s played on its home court.
The 9,029 fans in attendance not only shattered the city’s previous TBT attendance record — they topped any Shocker basketball crowd since the pandemic.
“We had some good runs back in the days,” said Conner Frankamp, another former Shocker. “The crowds used to be sold out every single night and this felt like that. A lot of Shocker fans have been waiting on a championship for a while and it was great to give it to them.”
Once again, the AfterShocks got the job done on the defensive end. Eberlein Drive shot just 35% from the field, while star Gabe York, who scored 25 points in the team’s semifinal victory, was held to 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
Meanwhile, the AfterShocks fully capitalized on a juiced home crowd with 61.5% shooting and three bench players in double-digits: Nike Sibande (14 points, six rebounds), Leyton Hammonds (13 points) and James Woodard (11 points, three assists).
But no one was better than Marcus Keene, the TBT veteran who finally won a championship after a long wait and many close calls with other teams in the past. Keene was named the tournament MVP after scoring 22 points, with 18 coming before halftime.
The AfterShocks completed a relatively dominant run to the TBT championship, joining fellow alumni champions from Ohio State, Syracuse, Marquette and Buffalo. In all six victories, the AfterShocks entered the Elam Ending with the lead and never trailed once in crunch time.
“It felt like we had to battle back a lot of times in previous years, but this run just shows how good the depth was with this group,” AfterShocks head coach Zach Bush said. “These guys answered the bell every time. Every time another team had a run, they started a run of their own. Supreme confidence. Nobody ever got rattled or shaken.”
It was all AfterShocks early.
Frankamp drilled a 3-pointer to put the AfterShocks up 10-3, drawing a deafening roar that forced Eberlein Drive to burn a timeout. The home team stormed to an 18-6 lead, playing nearly flawless basketball.
But momentum swung — fast.
Turnovers fueled a 12-0 Eberlein Drive run that erased the early cushion. The visitors even seized a 24-21 lead early in the second quarter.
That’s when the AfterShocks snapped back.
Woodard splashed a pair of 3s. Keene broke ankles on a crossover and capped it with a slick finish, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the AfterShocks surged ahead 33-24.
They never looked back.
Eberlein Drive came within five points once, but that was as close as it got. The AfterShocks entered the Elam Ending with a 74-64 lead and comfortably reached the target score set at 82 with a pair of free throws from Keene to win the million.
This story was originally published August 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM.
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