Former Wichita State star Markis McDuffie overcomes health scare to play in TBT

Entering his fourth year as a professional basketball player, Markis McDuffie knew the stakes of what a breakthrough season could mean for his career.

The former Wichita State standout had signed to JDA Dijon in France’s Pro A division and he was looking forward to proving himself in one of the best leagues in the world.

Then the unthinkable happened at his standard physical examination last August: a doctor diagnosed McDuffie, 24 at the time and feeling perfectly healthy, with atrial fibrillation, essentially an irregular heartbeat. Suddenly, his playing career was in jeopardy.

“I was on this trajectory overseas, starting to get noticed and this was supposed to be the year when I make a name for myself when it happened,” McDuffie said. “It was so scary. You can’t take the game for granted, man. Everything can be over so quick.”

After some nerve-wracking weeks, McDuffie was seen by another doctor and ultimately cleared when it was determined there were no more irregularities with his heartbeat.

With the stipulation of regular doctor check-ups, McDuffie was given the green light to play after missing all of the team’s preseason games. But even when he returned to the court in October, there was a mental barrier for him to overcome.

“You hear about guys collapsing on the court and you fear being that guy when you come back,” McDuffie said. “It’s not like, ‘I’m back.’ You think about, ‘If I run up and down the court three or four times, what’s going to happen to me?’”

McDuffie found comfort in phone conversations back home to Paterson, N.J. to his mother, who helped him clear the doubt in his head. He started trusting his body again and changed his lifestyle.

“I started eating healthier and drinking more water, eating the right things and doing the right things,” McDuffie said. “I don’t want anything to trigger the situation again. No matter how I feel, if a doctor says I have something wrong with me, I got to be smart about it. I got to watch what I eat, even though I’m skinny as hell.”

It didn’t take long for the 6-foot-8 wing to return to his bucket-getting ways. He scored 22 points in his breakout game, then followed with a string of impressive scoring games: 21 points, then 27, then 25, followed by 21 and capped by 25 more.

McDuffie was named to the French Pro A All-Star game in Paris and finished with averages of 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. He helped power Dijon to the playoffs and was named to the all-imports team and second team all-league in a league that featured Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

After the initial health scare, McDuffie delivered the dream season he was hoping for to propel him forward in his career. He has since signed with Turk Telekom in Turkey, another one of the world’s best leagues.

“To have basketball almost taken away from me, then for that turnaround, it was just crazy,” McDuffie said. “I was able to play against the No. 1 pick in the draft and that was a great experience. It let me know that I’m almost where I want to be. I’m blessed to still be able to continue to play.”

With his new outlook on life and basketball, McDuffie returned to Wichita this past week to once again play for the AfterShocks in The Basketball Tournament. The WSU alumni team plays its opening game against B1 Ballers at 8 p.m. Thursday at Koch Arena.

The same scoring tenacity he showed in his senior season at Wichita State, when he averaged 18.2 points and led a youthful Shockers squad to the 2019 NIT semifinals, is what has made him a valuable piece to the AfterShocks.

“Markis has always been a tough shot-maker and had such a high ceiling because of his athletic ability and how he can create shots for himself,” AfterShocks head coach Zach Bush said. “He’s figured out little pieces to his game since becoming a pro and year after year, he keeps climbing.”

Like most of the WSU alumni players, the camaraderie between former teammates is what keeps McDuffie coming back to Wichita every summer to play in TBT.

He has remained close friends with Darral Willis and McDuffie has enjoyed reconnecting with former teammates in Conner Frankamp, Zach Brown, Samajae Haynes-Jones and Asbjorn Midtgaard this week in Wichita.

The other reason he keeps returning? The love from WSU fans.

“When you’re overseas, you don’t get that type of love,” McDuffie said. “People don’t know you like that. It’s good to be back and feel like you’re somebody when you come back here and feel the love.”