AfterShocks | 7/21/2021 3:28:00 PM
The AfterShocks are very much about the current Shocks, even if the name implies otherwise.
Four former Shockers – coach
Zach Bush, assistants J.R. Simon and Garrett Stutz and general manager
Ron Baker – organized, nurtured and sold the AfterShocks and The Basketball Tournament over the past five days at Koch Arena.
At the same time, they helped Wichita State basketball.
"We all really back (coach
Isaac Brown) and we want to help them out in any way possible," Baker said. "TBT shows the culture of this program. It can display it to recruits, families that might be thinking about coming to school here. It's good pub for the city of Wichita and our program."
TBT showcased Shocker fans, former Shockers, former Shockers now in the NBA and gave viewers the unmistakable impression that college basketball matters more in Wichita than most other places.
TBT offered three games on ESPN networks in July, just as college basketball recruiting is getting back to normal. Brown knows the AfterShocks provided him a unique opportunity to reach recruits. On Wednesday morning, he texted several videos of Shocker fans rocking in Koch Arena.
Tuesday's crowd of 6,510 stands as the second largest in tournament history (behind 2019's AfterShocks crowd of 7,184). Sunday's game drew 3,481 fans.
"They noticed the passion with our fans, and they understand that it's about family," Brown said. "Our players understand about relationship and building relationships, like they've done in Wichita. We've got the best fan base in the country. That game felt like a game in January when we're playing against Memphis or Houston."
Over the past five days, TBT unfolded as Bush and Baker hoped.
Former Shockers of all ages gathered Friday for a reunion in the Champions Club. They met Brown, his assistant coaches and the current team members. Fred VanVleet turned from second-row spectator into coach during Sunday's game. Before Sunday's game, Baker took a phone call from an excited Cleo Littleton, the program's career scoring leader who played from 1951-55, telling Baker he was coming to the game.
On Monday, Baker and Tekele Cotton watched practice and talked with current Shockers. Current Shockers
Dexter Dennis, Clarence Jackson and
Morris Udeze grabbed plenty of ESPN time with their cheering in the stands.
After the game, Dennis joined the team in a victory lap around the arena, slapping hands with fans. The Shockers joined
Markis McDuffie's victory dance line on their way to the TBT bracket in the tunnel. The rest of the Shockers stood on the court, taking in the atmosphere and soaking up the enthusiasm for their predecessors.
"We've all been around Coach Brown and we love what he's about," Simon said. "Having him around and trying to embrace that and building relationships for the current players is a big deal. Trying to help the current players what we've built and having a relationship with them is big."
Baker lives in Wichita. Bush is an assistant coach at Andover High School. They see their support of the Shockers as an investment in their community.
"We care about this place," Bush said. "It gave so much to us. We see that in the best basketball programs, they are programs. They're not just year to year teams. They have players that come back and hang around. We want guys to come here and really feel the love and know that this is a place, that when I get out of basketball, I've got a network of brothers that I can lean on."
Baker, one of the biggest names in Shocker basketball and a former NBA player, lends a credibility to the AfterShocks. His involvement boosts everything from recruiting to sponsorships and publicity.
"Everybody has so much respect for Ron and his story and the way he does things," Baker said. "When you call and say something and then Ron calls right after and really backs it up, it does open those eyes a bit. The fans – they want to see him in any way they can."
The AfterShocks, naturally, ranged from Clevin Hannah, one of former coach Gregg Marshall's early crucial recruits, to more recent Shocker such as McDuffie and
Conner Frankamp.
The group that propelled the Shockers under Marshall into national prominence starting with the 2013 Final Four was well-represented. They spent hours and hours together in practice and video. They traveled the Missouri Valley Conference, later the American Athletic Conference, and became regulars in the NCAA Tournament.
For a few days, they were back together in Koch Arena with the fans.
"The big thing is spending time with these guys, who I really do love them all so much," Bush said. "Hanging out on the golf course, eating dinner, after practice – that's been one of the most fun things for me."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
