AfterShocks | 7/26/2023 3:16:00 PM

 By Paul Suellentrop
 
Joe Ragland is sweating through his "Buckets Never Stop" gray T-shirt on the floor of Koch Arena. Clevin Hannah and Carson, his 8-year-old son, are working out with him, dribbling around a chair, rebounding for each other, and shooting corner three-pointers.
 
They are both former Wichita State point guards, Hannah from 2008-10 and Ragland from 2010-12. Both were critical building blocks in the early days of coach Gregg Marshall's tenure. They earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and set the program up for success to follow.
 
"Great minds think alike," Ragland yells out while shooting. "He had the blueprint. The All-Valley blueprint."
 
Ragland and Hannah didn't play together as Shockers. However, being a Shocker brought them together, just as it brought Shockers of all generations to Koch Arena over the past week to watch the AfterShocks play in The Basketball Tournament and celebrate the 2013 Final Four team's 10^th anniversary.

 
This summer's edition – the fourth hosted at Koch Arena – proved that TBT can stay fresh. The reunion and the return of stars such as Fred VanVleet and Cleanthony Early built excitement and the AfterShocks won three games on their way to drawing a TBT-record crowd of 7,202 for Tuesday's 76-53 loss to Team Heartfire in the quarterfinals.
 
The alums – those who play and earn money with the prospect of earning more and those who don't – return for a variety of reasons. They see old friends from the team and the university. They reconnect with fans who cheered them on as Shockers. They soak up the atmosphere of Koch Arena. Some have reached the age where they can show their children pictures and the locker room.  
 
"In life, you typically don't get to spend time like this with people who meant so much to you," said AfterShocks coach Zach Bush, a member of the 2013 Final Four team. "The relationship aspect, spending time with these guys, is what I enjoy most."
 
VanVleet brought his family and marked his return with the opening of the Fred VanVleet Performance Center, a renovation of the weight room underneath Koch Arena.
 
"I usually keep my word," VanVleet said during a tour of the area during Friday's TBT game. "It's a good feeling to see it come full circle and be able to make an impact and give back to a program and a community that meant so much to my upbringing and my development as a young player."
 
Wichita is the second home for AfterShocks center Asbjorn Midtgaard, who played for Wichita State from 2017-2020 before finishing up at Grand Canyon.
 
"It felt natural," he said. "I see the Shockers as family."
 
 

What a night celebrating the 10-year reunion of the 2013 Final Four team.

Always nice to have family back in town. pic.twitter.com/zM0GGAMLch

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) July 23, 2023

Ragland lives in Houston when not playing professionally overseas. He also regards Wichita as a home base. He visits Hannah and the Basks, a Wichita family he grew close to during his time as a Shocker.
 
"Me and (Hannah), we formed a brotherhood," Ragland said. "His family is like my family. I will always come back to Wichita."
 
Hannah and Ragland are both veterans of successful overseas careers. They work out and work with each other to improve their skills and understanding of the game. Ragland credits Hannah with showing him the value of playing at the right pace. Hannah's old-school game, as Ragland describes it, is good for a long career.
 
"His style of game has always been more patient than mine," Ragland said. "That's real effective for the high levels in Europe."
 
Hannah swaps tips with working against defenses by talking with Ragland and watching his games. They have never played against each other.
 
"It's a respect thing that we have always had for each other," Hannah said. "We admire each other. It's good to work out with him to pick up dribble moves, downhill moves, picking his brain about how they guard him on the pick and roll."
 

Those type of conversations, memories and shop talk happened throughout the TBT week.
 
In the Champions Club on Friday, those who played in Levitt Arena without a shot clock in the days when cigarette smoke drifted to the top of the arena mingled with those who ushered Wichita State basketball into a new era.
 
Art Louvar (1970-73) met Shocker coach Paul Mills and told him how seeing Dave Stallworth play at Chicago Stadium as a youngster in the 1960's sold him on Wichita State. Matt Clark (2000-04) returned to campus for the first time in 10 years and hung out with teammate Bret Wise (2002-04). Father-son Shockers Ryan Herrs (1992-96) and Jacob Herrs (2017-2021) spanned generations.
 
Chris Grill (1997-98), Paul Miller (2001-06), Ron Mendell (1966-69), Craig Steven (1998-2003) mingled. So did many of the current Shockers and the AfterShocks.
 
The Final Four team represented with Ron Baker, Nick Wiggins, Demetric Williams, Tekele Cotton, Evan Wessel and VanVleet. Early and Carl Hall joined them on Saturday for the reunion, which benefited Armchair Strategies, an NIL collective for Wichita State athletes.
 
For Bush, also a member of Wichita State's 2013 Final Four team, the scene in the Champions Club and in Koch Arena represents continued success and growth. The AfterShocks turned July into a time to reunite and boost Shocker basketball.
 
"We've taken steps forward," Bush said. "Getting everybody back together is so much fun. People enjoy that reunion, time with people you haven't seen in a while and time with special people."
 
 

Last night we welcomed back the man who bet on himself and officially dedicated the @FredVanVleet Sports Performance Center.

FVV, Shocker Forever 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/JPYDzCuEf1

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) July 22, 2023

 
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.