The RoundHouse | 7/14/2021 10:44:00 AM

 
 
Riding out a pandemic in Spain gave Conner Frankamp and David DiLeo time to golf. They lived on a course in Murcia and worked in many rounds in between basketball practices and games.
 
"He's quite a bit better than me," DiLeo said. "He had some amazing shots. Even if he's in trouble, he's like 'Oh, I'm going to try this shot.' Somehow, it will be up on the green. He's got a pure swing and he makes pure contact."
 
Flair and imagination on the golf course, just like on the basketball court.
 
Frankamp, who played for Wichita State from 2015-18, is back for a second run on the AfterShocks in The Basketball Tournament. He scored 23 points in the 2019 win over Iowa United and 16 in a loss to Sideline Cancer. In those two games, he made 16 of 29 shots, 5 of 11 from three-point range.
 
TBT is made for Frankamp, who excels at creating and making shots from all over the court. Good passing and ball-handling is also in his skill-set, as his assist-to-turnover (4.73) ratio as a Shocker reminds us. He is doing the same thing during his professional career, most recently averaging 15.7 points for UCAM Murcia in the top Spanish league.
 
The AfterShocks open the tournament against Ex-Pats (Patriot League alumni) at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPN2).
 
"He knows that we have a ton of confidence in him, and I think he is that kind of guy, when you feed him confidence he is only going to get better," AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. "The professional game, as we all have seen, really suits his game."
 
Frankamp averaged 10.6 points for the Shockers as a senior in 2017-18 while starting every game for an NCAA Tournament team. For his career, he made 39 percent of his three-point shots and averaged 8.7 points. He earned third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2017 and Most Outstanding Player honors in the MVC Tournament.
 
He is rising through the professional ranks on those strengths.
 
"He's got a lot of different aspects to his game," said DiLeo, who played for Central Michigan and is on the AfterShocks roster. "He's a very tough player to guard and, no matter the matchup, he seemed to score in different ways."
 
 

"Frankamp can hit these like layups."

👌 @CFrankamp_23 pic.twitter.com/874hAoie7X

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 26, 2018

Frankamp averaged 19.4 points in 2018-19 for BC Beroe in Bulgaria. In 2019-2020, he averaged 20.9 points for the Rethyymno Cretan Kings and made the Greek League All-Star Game. Next season, he will play for Zenit Saint Petersburg of VTB United League and EuroLeague.
 
The improvisational and scoring juice works in the pros and in TBT. He can shoot well behind the three-point line, drive for floaters or short jump shots and utilize nifty moves around the basket.
 
"You can be free as a player," he said. "You play how you can play and we have several players who can do that."
 
TBT in 2019 taught him that. It is a physical game in TBT, with more holding and pushing allowed than in college. The AfterShocks built a roster with versatility and offensive skills in mind.
 
"Teams play pretty fast and try to score quick," he said.
 
Frankamp thrives in that kind of game. So does AfterShocks teammate Tyrus McGhee, an Iowa State alum who scored 24 points for Iowa United in 2019. Former Shockers Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones fit that description.
 
Bush said the AfterShocks will use some sets or quick-hitting plays. Most of the strategy, however, relies on putting talented scorers in position to score.
 
"It's not pickup, where they're just doing whatever," he said. "Every team in this will hit a point where they're not able to score and you've got have something in your back pocket. A big part of that is getting the ball to your go-to guys in their spots."
 
While the COVID-19 pandemic limited his experiences in Europe, Frankamp is enjoying his time overseas. Playing golf with a teammate helped get through the pandemic.
 
"It was pretty sweet," he said. "I played almost every day there in Spain. Spain has probably been my favorite place so far."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.