Kenyon Giles, usually all smiles inside Koch Arena, was brought to tears.

“Pretty good at not showing too much emotion,” he put it. But everything about Saturday’s matinee finally let those emotions out before the opening tip-off. 

“It kind of hit me,” Giles said. “I love this community, and they love me back. The love I got back was out of this world — more than I expected.

“This one year here brought my joy back.”

Giles, a senior guard, wasn’t alone. Karon Boyd and Emmanuel Okorafor also felt that bond with the city.

Boyd cherished every moment of Wichita State’s 88-70 win over Florida Atlantic on senior day. The noise that 8,163 fans blared throughout the Roundhouse. The way the arena rocks when that many, or more, Shocker faithful are behind a team. The way it can make it feel like a home away from home.

“It’s kind of been hitting me all week,” Boyd said. “Just between teammates helping me come to the realization in a way, like, ‘How do you feel about the last home game, really?’ 

“But coming out and hearing the crowd go crazy. Then at the free throw line after (Dillon Battie) had that crazy windmill, I’m just looking around at everybody standing up, clapping and everything (was) definitely a great moment to soak in.”

For Okorafor, checking out of the game with around a minute left felt like a moment that had come too soon.

“This season has been so, so, so quick,” said Okorafor, who scored a career-high 16 points in what could be his final game at the Roundhouse. A medical hardship waiver he has applied for, which would grant him an extra year of eligibility, has yet to be approved by the NCAA. 

But this year’s seniors, and Wichita State’s entire roster, won back a city yearning for winning basketball.

In less than a year, a fan base that had gone quiet has slowly reignited. Attendance has risen to over 6,700 over the last seven home games, up from an average of a little over 5,400 in the 10 home games before.

Even in an era when many players stay only one year, Wichita fans still connected with this team. 

They’ve also won the most games in six seasons after improving to 21-10 and 13-5 in the American Conference against Florida Atlantic.

“I don’t think that anybody would deny just how much they kind of resuscitated (and) not only just reinvigorated a fan base, but just the level of confidence,” head coach Paul Mills said.

“They’ve elevated the room,” Mills continued. “Any time that you can have a group to where they can elevate the room, it’s a huge plus. It’s what all three of those guys (have done).”

The growth showed on the court as well.

Jan. 15 became a turning point. Wichita State lost to Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, which has turned out to be the team’s most lopsided defeat this season — an 18-point loss that became Saturday’s fitting return-to-sender.

The Shockers have won 11 of their last 13 games since then, including their last six. Players agreed that the initial loss to the Owls was not going to sink their season.

“Shoutout FAU for lighting the fire in us,” Giles said. “After that loss, we all talked about it. We just got punked at their crib. It helped us. We took that loss as a lesson. That’s all we can ask for.”

Wichita State is now just two wins away from its first NCAA Tournament berth since the 2020-21 season.

But Saturday’s celebration inside Koch Arena felt like more than just a senior day sendoff and best finish to a regular season in years. After seasons of uneven results, the Shockers and their fans once again seemed in sync — feeding off the same energy that once defined the Roundhouse.

“It’s a great feeling to have the crowd behind us,” Boyd said. “There was just so much joy throughout that game. I was happy for my teammates, myself, the crowd — everybody, really. I know that feeling is going to come again once we get the next two wins.”