The AfterShocks will advance to the next round of the 2023 Wichita Super Regional after defeating B1 Ballers, 66-54.
This is the fourth year in a row that Wichita has hosted its own regional for The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TBT is an annual tournament, primarily made up of different college basketball teams’ alumni that compete for the chance to win $1 million.
AfterShocks head coach Zach Bush said the Thursday night game was “ugly,” noting the lack of time to prepare.
“It’s always hard,” Bush said. “We got three full days together because we had some flight issues, so just with guys getting here, I think we’ve done the best we can.”
No. 8 seed B1 Ballers and No. 1 seed AfterShocks kept the score close for the first half of the game,with Markis McDuffie earning the first two of the game.
By the start of the second half, the B1 Ballers were up by three points, 34-31. Despite the initial lead, the AfterShocks amped up their defense, only allowing the Ballers to score 20 points for the rest of the game.
“We went away from switching and just staying solid man-to-man,” Bush said. “The big thing is not getting back cut and just guarding the ball … Let defense turn into offense.”
AfterShocks defense led to a significant scoring drought for the B1 Ballers, stretching over five minutes with no points scored.
“Our strategy for the second half was just to come out and play a little bit harder, more aggressive on defense, so I guess that’s what we did,” forward Darral Willis Jr. said.
After a 4,513-person turnout to Thursday’s game, Willis talked about what playing in Charles Koch Arena does for the team.
“Koch has always been great to us, so they give us a lot of energy,” Willis said. “I just feel like the more people, the better we’re going to play, so I really appreciate all the fans.”
Bush urged fans to come out and support the team at their next match. The coach said the combination of playing at Koch for the fourth year and a 2013 men’s basketball team reunion make this year special.
“When you have what we have coming back, and then you add into it something as incredible as a Final Four reunion, that’s super rare,” Bush said. “It’s just mainly for … the fans to get to see and interact with these guys.”
The Final Four reunion, hosted by Wichita State’s NIL Collective Armchair Strategies, will take place on July 22 at 6 p.m. Mark Arts. Players like Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet will be there for discussions, photo opportunities, and more.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The AfterShocks will return on Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. in Koch Arena to play against the Beale Street Boys. The game will be on ESPN2.
