Win six games in The Basketball Tournament, and your team wins a million bucks.
But how does the money get split up?
For the AfterShocks, they’ll split the purse among the 14 members listed on the roster — 10 players and four coaches. Each will earn a paycheck of $71,428 before taxes, after Sunday’s 82-67 championship game win over Eberlein Drive.
Some of Wichita State’s team of alumni will save the money. For others, it’s a little too early to tell how they’ll use it.
“I honestly have no idea,” guard Conner Frankamp said, jokingly. “I have two kids, so definitely will split it with them, and then just enjoy it. It’s pretty awesome to be in the position we’re in.”
After six years of competing in TBT, the AfterShocks are finally bearing the fruit of their labor. The team grinded out win after win over the last few weeks in a place some players once called home.
“We got kind of lucky to be able to host the entire thing, with the first two or three teams (in the home court advantage) losing,” said Frankamp, a Wichita native. “Everything kind of lined up for us, and we were able to take advantage of it.”
Take advantage they did.
The AfterShocks’ fans provided the true meaning of home court advantage throughout the entire run — even breaking the championship game attendance record with 9,029 fans. In return, the AfterShocks played stifling defense, allowing just 61.8 points per game and holding opponents to 38.7% shooting from the floor and 27.1% 3-point shooting.
After all, defense wins championships — and big paydays.
But with the end goal of winning the championship in mind, the AfterShocks found more than their pot of gold.
“I got together with a group of guys that were strangers three weeks ago,” forward Chevez Goodwin said. “And we went from strangers to brothers in three weeks. It’s been awesome. I mean, I love all these guys. I can’t wait to see where their careers go in the future.”
With only four former Shockers on the team and the small amount of practice time together before the tournament, the team could’ve struggled more than they did to get on the same page. But everyone found their role and gelled from the jump.
“To be asked for everybody to sacrifice a little bit when they’re typically the best player on their team,” head coach Zach Bush said. “That’s asking a lot, and they did it from day one. They believed in each other, and it only grew as we won. Incredibly thankful for their sacrifice and their selflessness.”
One piece that melded right away was guard Marcus Keene.
The 2016-17 NCAA scoring leader started slow, making just 8-of-24 attempts through two games. From the game against Houston’s alumni Forever Coogs and forward, he won three games in the Elam Ending, averaged 16 points per game to go along with marks of 45.5% from the floor and 32% from deep.
Keene’s tournament was capped off with his third Elam Ender in the championship game.
He was awarded the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and said this was most likely his curtain call in TBT, unless this exact group makes another run.
“We know each other, we love each other, we respect each other,” Keene said. “And that’s why we got it.”
