AfterShocks | 7/17/2026 4:02:00 PM
Podcast with AfterShocks coach Zach Bush
By
Paul Suellentrop
There are times a team's offensive needs must come before the defensive identity, which is not an easy admission for AfterShocks coach Zach Bush. He, as well as anyone, knows that defense, physical play and toughness defined much of Wichita State's recent success.
"We came to the realization that, yes, the defense has to be there, but absolutely things have to change," Bush said. "We can't, at a certain point, out-will and out-tough teams. You have to outscore them, too."
That shift in recruiting strategy helped the AfterShocks win The Basketball Tournament in 2025 with six wins, four by 12 or more points. They played good defense. They rebounded. The addition of "guys paid to score," as Bush often says, elevated them from good TBT performer to a champion.
"I think that's how modern-day basketball is," AfterShocks guard Conner Frankamp said. "It's always good to have multiple guys who go out and get 20, 25 points. If one of us is off, someone else will probably be on."
The AfterShocks open play in The Basketball Tournament at 7 p.m., Monday vs. The Enchantment (a team of New Mexico alums) at Koch Arena on FS1. It is a best-of-3 series, all in Wichita, with games scheduled for July 23 and the if necessary game on July 24, both at 8 p.m. This season's prize money doubles to $2 million in the16-team tournament.
Bush stuck with that strategy when building this summer's roster. To win TBT, a team needs athletes who can beat a defense late in the shot clock or after a play breaks down. A team needs players with the ability to make shots when defended and the confidence to take those shots and keep taking them, even after a miss or two.
Guard Marcus Keene, as Bush said, didn't need a play to score the game-winning basket against Forever Coogs. He needed someone to set a screen above the three-point line and let him do the rest.
"Defense has to be there," Bush said. "At a certain point, to get over the hump, you have to have the scoring. At times, it felt like we squeezed everything we could out of the tubes and we just didn't have the offense."
Last season's AfterShocks had the offense.
Keene, last summer's tournament MVP, is back after scoring 22 points in 82-67 win over Eberlein Drive in the championship game. He also scored 17 points, including the winning basket, in a 66-63 win over Forever Coogs. Guard James Woodard, who scored 12 points in a semifinal win and 11 in the championship game, is also back.
Frankamp, with his history of TBT game-winners, is another proven scoring option. In the 2025 opener, Markis McDuffie led the team with 11 points and Rashard Kelly added 10.
"We have guys with high I.Q.," Kelly said. "They are able to create opportunities, not only for themselves. When they're in an aggressive mode and mindset, it opens up things for everybody else."
In previous seasons, the AfterShocks had plenty of defense and grit, with most of the players coming from the coach Gregg Marshall era in which those assets were talked about first and foremost. But the AfterShocks topped out in the semifinals and kept running into teams who could match their defense and employed superior bucket-getters.
Bush's thinking started to change after 65-61 loss to Team Colorado in 2024 in which the AfterShocks shot 37.9 percent from the field. In 2023, Heartfire handled the AfterShocks 76-53 after holding them to 42.2 percent shooting.
"We went out and got a little more firepower," Bush said.
While forward Nike Sibande, another excellent scorer on the 2025 team, is not back, Bush replaced him with Q.J. Peterson, a 20-point scorer in overseas leagues.
"Another professional scorer," Bush said. "He reminds me a lot of Marcus (Keene) with great leadership qualities. He understands winning. When you need a bucket late, you've got to have guys you can throw the ball to and say, 'We need you to go get one.'"
The winner of the AfterShocks-Team Enchantment series plays either JHX Hoops (Kansas) or Purple Reign (Kansas State) in a single game on July 27 at Koch Arena. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship are single elimination.
The road to a TBT championship is different this summer with a new format and a 16-team field. The AfterShocks will have the Koch Arena crowd on their side and confidence in their professional scorers.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
