We interrupt – again – your relaxing summer for AfterShocks basketball at Charles Koch Arena.
While Shocker fans are used to cold winter nights at the Roundhouse, July basketball is now a habit with The Basketball Tournament. The AfterShocks, featuring former Shockers and other professionals, are three wins from the tournament’s $1 million prize.
Because TBT hosting privilege is determined by attendance, the AfterShocks will play at Koch Arena as long as they win. They play Heartfire at 8 p.m. Sunday on FS1 in a quarterfinal. The winner advances to the semifinal game on July 31. Heartfire, top-seeded in Kansas City Region, defeated JHX Hoops (Kansas alums) 71-68 on Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium.
The championship game is Aug. 3. Heartfire won the tournament in 2023 after defeating the AfterShocks in a quarterfinal.
On Tuesday, the AfterShocks defeated Forever Coogs 66-63 on a three-pointer by guard Marcus Keene. His basket, in front of 3,080 fans, sent the AfterShocks to the TBT quarterfinals for the fourth time in six TBT appearances.
Wichita basketball fans turn out for TBT in numbers most of the nation can’t match. Entering 2025, the AfterShocks owned six of TBT’s top 10 attendance marks, headlined by a then-record 7,202 in 2023.
“(The crowd) changes the momentum of games,” coach Zach Bush said. “You saw they had to burn a timeout in the first half to quiet it down. It’s a huge asset.”
The AfterShocks, of course, notice the increasing crowds during this run. The former Shockers on the team remember the raucous environment at Koch Arena from their college days and that nostalgia is one reason they return. Former Shockers include Markis McDuffie, Conner Frankamp, Trey Wade and Rashard Kelly, in addition to Bush and assistants Garrett Stutz, J.R. Simon and Brett Barney.
“We want these fans to keep coming out,” Bush said. “It could be even better. It’s so much fun. Ask anyone of the, I’d venture to say, 3,000-plus fans that were in here tonight. I guarantee they had a blast.”
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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