In Round 1 of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the AfterShocks showed a different style of play than last year.
The AfterShocks as a team this year are third in points per game out of the 14-team pool, compared to 27th out of the 61-team pool in 2025. They have scored 79.7 points ppg this year compared to 74.5 last year.
Last year’s tournament MVP Marcus Keene averaged 13.7 points per game during the campaign.
Keene continues to put the ball in the net this year, averaging 14.3 ppg so far.
“I’m a gamer,” Keene said. “If I go down, I’m going to go down swinging.”
Along with Keene, QJ Peterson and Corey Washington are averaging more than 10 points per contest.
“It’s been lovely,” Keene said about having more shot makers on the team.
Peterson, currently tied with Keene at 14.3 ppg, became the AfterShocks’ new hero after scoring all eight points during the Elam Ending in Game 3 of the first round.
“When you got a guy like QJ, it’s hard for teams to guard me as much as they’d like,” Keene said. “It opens up shots for me, which leads to open shots for them once I get going.”
Washington’s (11 ppg) TBT story has been a rollercoaster thus far. While not only is it his first year in the tournament, it’s also his first year out of college.
“He was so excited to do this,” coach Zach Bush said. “When I had that first conversation with him over the phone it wasn’t a, ‘Please come play with us,’ it was like, ‘As long as I can, I’m there.’”
The young forward came off the bench for the AfterShocks in Game 1 but he wasn’t there for very long.
He immediately made an impact on the offensive side of the ball, finishing with a game-high 23 points.
In the second game, Washington played just 10 minutes, a team low, due to fouls. He still managed six points during his time on the court, via a three-pointer and an and-one.
Apart from the three high volume scorers, the AfterShocks have had guys like Marcus Santos-Silva and Conner Frankamp step up in moments where the team needed them.
“I just decided in the first half that I needed to go get my shots, and it opened up for everyone else really,” Santos-Silva said in reference to his 12-point Game 3.
The AfterShocks will attempt to continue their scoring ways in a single-elimination matchup against the KU alumni team in Charles Koch Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27.
