The breakout player from the AfterShocks’ first TBT practice at Wichita State

It was like 2017 all over again inside Koch Arena on Sunday night, as Conner Frankamp, Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown, Shaquille Morris and Samajae Haynes-Jones were back to their bucket-getting ways on Devlin Court.

The group of former Shockers were all back in town for the first practice of the AfterShocks, a Wichita State men’s basketball alumni team, ahead of their first game in The Basketball Tournament at 8 p.m. Friday against We Are D3.

Tickets to the TBT games in Wichita on Friday are still available through GoShockers.com/Tickets. If the AfterShocks continue to win, they will play at 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Monday, July 25 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 27.

The first practice for the AfterShocks, who are looking to improve on their run to the TBT quarterfinals last summer, is usually more of a low-intensity, pick-up game with the players kicking off the cobwebs after a few weeks off following their professional seasons overseas.

Along with the five former Shockers, James Dickey (UNC Greensboro) was part of the six players who made it to Sunday’s practice. Two more former Shockers, Markis McDuffie and Darral Willis, plus Tyrus McGee, an Iowa State grad who played with the team last summer, and Tulsa grad James Woodard are expected to trickle into Wichita over the next two days.

Former WSU walk-on Zach Bush, the AfterShocks head coach, ran Sunday’s practice, while his trio of assistants, all former Shockers in J.R. Simon, Garrett Stutz and Clevin Hannah, will also arrive this week. For Sunday’s practice, Bush had help from his younger brother Brycen, another former WSU walk-on, Connor Shank, a former WSU manager, and Jaylyn Agnew, an Andover native and WNBA player.

Frankamp, an Elam Ending hero after his pair of dramatic game-winners last summer, was sharp with the ball in his hands from the start on Sunday. He found instant chemistry with Dickey, a bouncy, 6-foot-10 center who looks to be a vertical threat, in the pick-and-roll game and delivered the game-winning shot for his pick-up team on three different occasions.

Kelly and Brown provided their usual brand of play and should once again be key players for the AfterShocks on the wing, while Haynes-Jones was quick as ever and knocked down a variety of jumpers and Morris used his frame to bully smaller defenders in the paint.

The biggest revelation, from Sunday’s practice at least, was the play of Dickey, who arrived in Wichita after averaging 8.6 points and 7.0 rebounds in Israel’s top league this past season.

Versatile big men who can run the floor, catch lobs and block shots are the golden ticket in TBT and Dickey showed all of those traits on Sunday. Bush believes Dickey could be a game-changer for the AfterShocks, as the 6-foot-10 post showed on Sunday he is a prime lob threat in the pick and roll, he can score around the post with an array of moves and he can even pull down a rebound, lead a fast break and find an open shooter in transition.

Because of the low numbers for the AfterShocks, a batch of current Wichita State men’s basketball players helped provide 5-on-5 runs on Sunday. Craig Porter, Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, Gus Okafor, Jaron Pierre Jr., Quincy Ballard, Jalen Ricks, Isaac Abidde, Jacob Wilson and Melvion Flanagan all played at least some minutes against the AfterShocks on Sunday.

The seniors on the 2017-18 team, particularly Kelly, lit up when they saw Poor Bear-Chandler, who played at WSU from 2018-21 and returned to the Shockers earlier this summer to finish his career.

Although they were never teammates at WSU, Kelly helped recruit Poor Bear-Chandler to the Shockers and served as a big brother to Poor Bear-Chandler during his prep year at nearby Sunrise Christian Academy.

Kelly wasted no time in showing Poor Bear-Chandler some tough love after their years apart, antagonizing him during the first drill of the night when Poor Bear-Chandler chose to lay the ball in rather than dunk it. Kelly’s taunts drew laughter from Poor Bear-Chandler.

Among the current Shockers, Pierre was the standout player in the scrimmage against the AfterShocks. The 6-foot-5 sophomore transfer from Southern Miss showed he could create separation against pros and knock down tough jumpers in the process. He averaged 10 points for the Golden Eagles this past season and the scoring tenacity he showed on Sunday could earn him minutes for a WSU team that will be looking for scoring help this season.

Reports from summer practices have been that Okafor, a 6-foot-6 senior forward and transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, has a motor that doesn’t stop, which makes him a problem on the glass and going toward the basket. That was the case on Sunday, as Okafor never stopped moving forward and even showcased a particularly devastating hesitation move in the post.

Although Ballard, a 7-foot transfer from Florida State, only played in one game, he made an early impression on the pros. On the game’s first play, the AfterShocks tried to throw an alley-oop to Dickey over the top of Ballard, but the 7-footer was able to back pedal, jump and knock the ball away to stymie the attempt. He also made a free throw line jumper.