AfterShocks tap into Wichita State Roundhouse magic for 21-point comeback win at TBT

In some other gym, the AfterShocks’ run in The Basketball Tournament would have ended Friday night.

In any other gym, 25 straight minutes of sloppy play and mistakes would have been insurmountable.

But when Wichita State fans fill Koch Arena, even on a summer night in July, magic is always possible inside the Roundhouse. It’s a place where the home team can be outclassed for the majority of the game, only for that disparity to vanish before the visitors figure out what happened.

“There’s always a chance with this crowd,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said.

Koch Arena is a powder keg waiting to ignite during a comeback, but it was up to the WSU alumni team to produce the ammunition after falling behind by as many as 21 points in the third quarter to the Beale Street Boys in a second-round TBT game.

A flurry of second-chance baskets fueled a 9-2 rally to end the third quarter, closing the gap to 14. Caleb Walker and Tyrus McGee drilled back-to-back triples, then Markis McDuffie drove the length of the floor for a basket to cap a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to 62-58 with 5:26 remaining.

“I swear I couldn’t even hear myself thinking at one point,” Darral Willis said. “It sounded like there was 50,000 fans in there.”

Elevating the intensity of the moment was the presence of members of the 2013 Wichita State Final Four team, who were recognized during halftime and are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their treasured run together this weekend.

Fred VanVleet, Tekele Cotton, Joe Ragland, Nick Wiggins and Demetric Williams sat directly behind the AfterShocks’ bench, shouting instructions and encouragement to the players during breaks in the game. Greg Heiar, who was a WSU assistant coach on the Final Four team, was engaged like he was still coaching WSU on the sidelines, demanding the same Mental Toughness Xtra Effort that worked for so many Shocker teams.

“I had somebody tap me on the shoulder on the bench and I’m like, ‘Who is this?’ It’s Tekele Cotton,” Willis said. “He told (me), ‘Hey man, that’s a great shot. It looks good, keep shooting.’ And that’s what it’s all about here. We’re one big family, lifting each other up and giving each other confidence.”

Jeremiah Martin looked poised to spearhead another upset bid in Koch Arena, like he did as a senior at Memphis in 2019, but he was injured on a fast-break layup attempt with 4:23 remaining and Beale Street Boys leading 64-58. Martin, who had a game-high 19 points, never returned to the game.

With the Elam Ending enacted and the target score set at 72, Beale Street Boys connected on the first shot — a rainbow 3-pointer by Eric Frederick for a 67-60 lead. But the AfterShocks answered right back, as Conner Frankamp drilled his own triple to spark the crowd.

“We knew if we just got something going, the crowd was going to be crazy,” said McDuffie, who scored a team-high 16 points. “When the crowd gets into it like that, you just get naturally tougher and more aggressive.”

“Honestly, it was all about our defensive effort,” said Walker, who chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. “I think that’s what changed the whole game for us. Once we locked into the defensive end, we were able to get stop after stop after stop and start running and next thing you know, we’re back in the game.”

In the end, the AfterShocks would come up with defensive stops on 18 of the final 22 Beale Street Boys possessions, including forcing six straight empty trips during the Elam Ending.

The Memphis alumni certainly played a role in their own demise, slowing the tempo and trying for end-of-shot-clock theatrics instead of continuing to look to run, which led to a 19-3 advantage in fast-break points in the game. But there was no denying the AfterShocks increased their defensive intensity during the comeback.

“I’ve been around basketball long enough to know a crowd like this makes a huge difference,” said Fran Fraschilla, who called the game on ESPN. “Everything has to go right when you’re down 21 points and the crowd certainly had a lot to do with it, but so did the DNA of the guys who played here. Anybody who follows Wichita State basketball through the years, no pun intended, wasn’t shocked by what happened.”

After Beale Street Boys pulled ahead 67-60, Frankamp answered with a three, McDuffie drove the paint and finished and Frankamp attacked for a game-tying layup at 67. A Memphis alumni turnover led to a steal and run-out for McDuffie, then Walker brought the AfterShocks to within a point of the target score with a pair of free throws.

Beale Street Boys scored to draw within 71-69, meaning both teams would have a chance to reach the target score of 72 on their next possession. The Memphis alumni never had another chance.

Trey Wade set a screen for McGee at the top of the key, then rolled hard to establish post position in the paint. The entry pass was on point and Wade didn’t hesitate to turn and hoist the game-winning shot through the air.

Pandemonium ensued when Wade’s hook shot nestled through the net, securing a 73-69 victory for the AfterShocks over Beale Street Boys, completing a stunning 32-9 rally to close out the game and keeping the team’s $1 million dream alive.

“It brought back so many good memories of playing here,” said Wade, who provided timely sparks with his game-high 10 rebounds and nine points. “This place getting real loud like that reminded me of being a Shocker and playing hard. It was so much fun.”

A history of all-time TBT comebacks was unavailable immediately following Friday’s game, but the AfterShocks erasing a 21-point deficit is believed to be one of the largest comebacks in the tournament’s history.

It was the ninth straight victory for the AfterShocks on their home floor, as the team advanced to its third straight regional championship game, where the WSU alumni will face Team Arkansas, which dispatched K-State’s Purple & Black 63-52, in Sunday’s 4 p.m. final.

“It’s hard to rank (TBT wins) because they all feel so special, but this one is pretty surreal,” Bush said. “We’ve been down a lot, but we’ve never been down like that and come back.

“When you hear that roar of the crowd, it’s like ecstasy. It’s crazy. There’s nothing like it. When you hear that, you know you have a chance.”