How winning, fan support have helped AfterShocks recruit non-alumni players for TBT

Returning to Koch Arena every summer to play in The Basketball Tournament has obvious appeal for former Wichita State players.

But with the way Shocker fans have embraced the summer basketball tournament, the second-to-none environment has made playing for the AfterShocks an attractive option for non-alumni players as well.

“It gives us credibility when we try to reach out to certain guys,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “Even with guys who end up not coming, we get the same comment all the time. ‘You guys do things the right way.’ And that’s a huge credit to the fans making this the best environment in the tournament.”

The Wichita regional broke its own attendance record last summer with 7,202 fans filling Koch Arena for the quarterfinals. Wichita holds the top-four attendance records in TBT history and eight of the top-11 figures.

While that’s nothing new to the former WSU players, the rowdy environment inside the Roundhouse always stands out to the other pros.

“Man, they just never stopped cheering,” said Caleb Walker, a Nebraska graduate who is back after playing for the AfterShocks last summer. “Even when we were losing, they still cheered the whole game. That’s what it’s about. When you have loyal fans like that, it makes you want to come back and compete.”

Another returner is nine-year pro Jordan Parks, who still vividly remembers playing in Koch Arena during the 2013-14 season when he was on North Carolina Central. The Shockers, on their way to a historic 35-1 season, won 77-66 and the crowd noise always left an impression on Parks.

And then he experienced the power of the Roundhouse last summer when the crowd helped the AfterShocks erase a 21-point deficit against the Beale Street Boys to win in the regional semifinals.

“Having a chance to play in front of Shocker fans is amazing,” Parks said. “To finally be able to have them behind you is really dope as a 30-year-old professional. College crowds are just way different than the pros. There’s so much energy in the building. It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to experiencing again.”

Another player who experienced the Roundhouse during his college days is Memphis graduate Jeremiah Martin, who poured in 37 points to stun the Shockers in an 88-85 win for the Tigers on Feb. 23, 2019.

Martin was also on the Beale Street Boys team last summer that witnessed the kind of momentum shift that can occur when a pro-WSU crowd gets involved.

When a Memphis-based TBT team fell through this summer, Martin, who averaged 18.2 points and 3.9 assists in the VTB United League this past season, was recruited by almost every top team in the tournament. In the end, he picked the AfterShocks.

“After playing here last summer and then in college, that played a big part in me wanting to come join the team,” Martin said. “It was really fun playing here because the atmosphere was so great. It was definitely one of the toughest arenas to play in the American.”

The lone player on the team who has yet to play in front of a crowd at Koch Arena is Jabari Narcis, a 6-foot-9 center who was the final addition to the roster.

Once he saw highlights of Conner Frankamp’s Elam Ending heroics, the former Texas Arlington standout was sold.

“Man, I’m really looking forward to playing with this team,” Narcis said. “From the looks of it, they win a lot and get a lot of fans to come out. They expect us to win and we expect to win, so it just looks like a lot of fun to me.”

With only 10 players on the roster, all four non-alumni players are expected to contribute to the AfterShocks in Saturday’s opening-round noon game (broadcast on FS1) against Midtown Prestige at Koch Arena.

Martin should bring plenty of offensive firepower as a lead ball handler, while Walker became a crucial piece to the team last summer with his steady two-way play. Parks offers length and versatility off the bench and Narcis can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting as a big.

So far in practices this week, the foursome have fit right in with the Shockers on the roster in Conner Frankamp, Markis McDuffie, Rashard Kelly, Darral Willis Jr., Trey Wade and Alterique Gilbert.

“Once we get these guys here, no one looks at it like the Shockers and the non-Shockers,” Bush said. “We’re all on one team and we’re all here for the same goal. The way the fans have wrapped their arms around these guys has definitely made it easier for us to do that.

“And then we’ve always tried to be a long, athletic group that can switch everything. There’s been a lot of games where it’s felt like the reason we won is our ability to generate stop after stop. We have a ton of versatile guys on the roster this year.”

The AfterShocks are 10-1 at Koch Arena under Bush with the lone loss coming in last year’s quarterfinals to the eventual champion.

While players enjoy the fan support and the raucous environment, they’re also here to win. And entering this summer’s tournament, the AfterShocks feel like they are the best equipped yet to win the $1 million prize.

“Everybody is here to have a chance to play for the million dollars and maybe change our lives and our family’s lives,” Parks said. “We feel like we have a great chance.”