‘Our second home’: Past Shocker basketball players cherish reunion in the Roundhouse

It’s hard to believe it’s been six years.

That was the sentiment on Tuesday for many of the Wichita State alumni players on the AfterShocks in their return to Koch Arena to practice in preparation for Saturday’s debut in The Basketball Tournament.

It was the 2017-2018 season the last time Conner Frankamp, Markis McDuffie, Darral Willis Jr. and Rashard Kelly suited up together for the Shockers.

Winning the $1 million prize is the goal, which begins with a noon Saturday game against No. 8 seed Midtown Prestige, but the main draw of returning each summer to Wichita and playing in the TBT is their reunion in the Roundhouse.

“This is like our second home,” Willis said while gazing around the arena. “It’s always a pleasure and an honor to come back here and play on this beautiful court. Hopefully we can get 10,000 fans packed in here like we used to have when we were playing here. We want all of the old supporters to come back and support like they used to and pack this place out.”

Frankamp (Spain), McDuffie (Italy), Willis (Japan) and Kelly (France) all spent last year playing professional basketball in different countries. They stay in touch throughout the year through text messages and the occasional social-media back-and-forth.

But their only real chance of connecting in person is in July when TBT rolls around. It’s become a cherished week for the past teammates.

“I used to see D-Will every single day and now I only get to see him once a year,” McDuffie said. “Things like that are why I come back, to see guys like him. It’s something special.”

Another special moment occurred at the end of Tuesday’s practice when the group found out that former teammate Zach Brown, who attended to show his support and has remained in Wichita while rehabilitating a knee injury, became a first-time father on Monday.

Cheers echoed through Koch Arena when Brown announced his son, Pierre, and the mother were healthy and well. Frankamp, a father himself, spent time after practice chatting with Brown about fatherhood.

“Zach is my brother, man, and I just love to see all of my brothers doing good,” Willis said. “That’s why every chance I get to come back and see them, I want to try to make that happen.”

Their familial bond also extends to the basketball court, where Frankamp, McDuffie, Willis and Kelly were all teammates together for at least two years.

Not only have all four ascended to the best overseas leagues in the world, but they share the same Shocker DNA from their days playing for coach Gregg Marshall. It’s a big reason why the AfterShocks are the only TBT organization to win a regional championship the last three summers.

They have a chemistry that was already on display during Tuesday’s practice, the first of the week with the majority of the roster. The former Shockers have their own way of communicating, sometimes in a joking manner, sometimes in a heated discussion, but always with love that comes from a brotherly bond only possible from years of experience together.

“Continuity really helps in (TBT) when you have that familiarity,” said AfterShocks coach Zach Bush, who was also their former teammate. “The best teams in this tournament when you watch, it’s not because they run something special, it’s more about they have a feel for one another. They know where each other are on the court. When you watch good basketball, you can tell guys have played together and have that chemistry.”

Another benefit the AfterShocks enjoy over their competition is home-court advantage. Under Bush, the AfterShocks have compiled a 10-1 record at Koch Arena with the only loss being a 23-point setback to Heartfire, the eventual tournament champion, in last summer’s quarterfinals.

WSU fans have turned the Wichita regional into the pride of TBT, as Wichita broke its own attendance record last summer with 7,202 fans. Wichita owns the four most-attended regional sessions in tournament history and eight of the top-11 marks.

“Don’t get me wrong, the Japan fans are crazy, but there’s nothing like the fans at Koch Arena,” Willis said. “It gets so loud in here.”

Alterique Gilbert never had the opportunity to experience that level of electricity in the Roundhouse. He played his lone season for WSU during the coronavirus pandemic when hardly any fans were allowed in the arena.

He relishes the chance to finally feed off the crowd’s energy at Koch Arena after fans watched from afar as he helped lead the Shockers to their only American Athletic Conference championship in 2021.

“We all missed out on that (crowd noise) that year and then I missed out on it again last summer (due to injury),” Gilbert said. “So to finally get an opportunity to play in front of Shocker fans with that Koch Arena energy, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to.”