Former WSU teammates Morris Udeze, Dexter Dennis to reunite on AfterShocks
For four years, Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze grew up together inside Koch Arena.
They arrived at Wichita State in the same 2018 recruiting class, stayed through a coaching change and a pandemic, helped the Shockers win an American Conference championship and reach the NCAA Tournament, then left after the 2021-22 season as the last two players to spend the first four years of their college careers at WSU.
Now, four years later, they are coming back together to play in the Roundhouse.
Udeze, the former Wichita State center known for carving out space with his shoulders and bulldozing his way to buckets, has committed to play for the AfterShocks this summer in The Basketball Tournament, the team announced Friday morning.
The move reunites Udeze with Dennis, his close friend and four-year WSU teammate, while giving Wichita State’s alumni team another powerful interior presence for its TBT championship defense in a winner-take-all tournament with a $2 million prize.
The reunion also mattered in what became an unusual recruiting battle for Udeze’s commitment.
The AfterShocks will open their title defense against The Enchantment, New Mexico’s alumni team, which gave both sides a natural pitch. Udeze played four seasons at WSU, but he also used his extra COVID-19 season at New Mexico, where he produced the best statistical year of his college career.
The Enchantment wanted him, too.
In the end, the AfterShocks were able to sell Udeze on the chance to reunite with Dennis, return to Koch Arena and join a roster built to contend for another TBT championship.
Udeze, 26, gives the AfterShocks another true Shocker connection at a time when TBT has changed its roster construction rules to place more emphasis on alumni. Teams are now limited to four non-alumni players, a shift that made it more important for the AfterShocks to build around former WSU players this summer.
The Eagle has confirmed the AfterShocks are targeting six former Wichita State players for this year’s roster. Udeze gives them five already lined up: Markis McDuffie, Conner Frankamp, Rashard Kelly, Dennis and Udeze.
The team is also bringing back Marcus Keene, the dynamic guard who starred in last year’s championship game, along with three other players from last summer’s title team. Trey Wade, a reserve on last year’s championship roster, could be the choice for the sixth and final alumni spot, which would give the AfterShocks a chance to return eight of the 10 players from the team that delivered Wichita its first TBT championship.
Udeze should give the AfterShocks a different kind of presence inside.
At 6-foot-8, he was never the tallest center on the floor at Wichita State, but he became one of the Shockers’ most physical players. His game was built on deep catches, hard seals, drop steps and bully-ball finishes. When WSU needed someone to manufacture offense around the rim, Udeze often did it by lowering his shoulder, absorbing contact and forcing defenses to either foul him or bring help.
He started 54 games during his four-year WSU career from 2018-22. As a junior, he averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds for the 2020-21 team that won the American title and reached the NCAA Tournament.
He followed with another productive season in 2021-22, averaging 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in what became his final year with the Shockers.
His game took off after he left Wichita.
Udeze transferred to New Mexico for his extra season of eligibility and became one of the most productive big men in the Mountain West, averaging 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds on 61% shooting. It was a breakthrough season that showed how efficient he could be when given an expanded offensive role.
That production helped launch a professional career that has steadily climbed over the past three seasons.
Udeze averaged 12.8 points during his rookie season in Poland, then found more success in Japan’s second-tier league, where he averaged 17.3 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Fukushima Firebonds to end the season.
That helped Udeze earn a contract in Spain’s Liga Endesa, the country’s top-tier league and widely considered one of the best leagues in the world. He did not factor in as prominently in his first season against top competition, averaging 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds for Morabanc Andorra, but simply reaching that level marked another step in his professional climb.
Now Udeze will return to Wichita with a chance to help the AfterShocks defend the title they won last summer.
TBT has shifted to a new format this year with 16 teams. The first round will be played as a best-of-three series before the tournament returns to single elimination in later rounds.
The AfterShocks will begin their title defense at Koch Arena against The Enchantment. Game 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, on FS1. Game 2 is set for 8 p.m. Thursday, July 23, on FS2. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, on FS2.
Tickets can be purchased through the Shocker Ticket Office and online at GoShockers.com.
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