‘We’re making memories’: AfterShocks win TBT regional again with dramatic Elam Ending
There’s nothing quite like The Basketball Tournament experience at Koch Arena.
Nothing generates drama like the Elam Ending and the AfterShocks have developed a knack for pulling off heart-palpitating wins in July.
Add Monday’s Wichita regional championship game as the latest in the growing list of thrillers, as the AfterShocks prevailed in nerve-wracking fashion with a 70-69 win over Bleed Green, a North Texas alumni team.
Needing a basket to hit the target score or risk losing on the next possession, former Shocker Darral Willis bullied his way for the game-ending layup. The AfterShocks advanced to their second straight TBT quarterfinals, this time against the Gutter Cat Gang at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena. General admission and upper-area tickets are available for $10.
“It’s such a high and it never gets old,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said of the ending. “We’re making memories, man. This is so special because we’ve all gone our separate ways, but we still get to do this together. We have these memories to make and you can’t ever take that away. This is such a high that you can’t replicate it.”
Playing basketball together is fun, but celebrating together again is what keeps former Shockers sacrificing their personal time during the offseason of their professional careers to return to Wichita every summer.
Markis McDuffie never thought he would play another game at Koch Arena when his Shocker career ended in 2019. Now his celebration dance following each AfterShocks victory has become iconic in TBT lore.
Playing again in the atmosphere at Koch Arena, which has hosted eight games and drawn eight of the top 12 crowds in TBT history with 3,103 in attendance on Monday, is another draw for former Shockers.
“There’s no better feeling than winning in Koch Arena,” Willis said. “This is something I’ll never forget, making that shot and seeing everyone dancing. It was just a crazy moment and I’m thankful I’m here and blessed to be here.”
The late-game drama was a testament to the incredible shot-making display put on by Bleed Green’s superstar duo of Jordan Stevens and Brandon Jefferson, who combined for 43 points and 10 three-pointers.
Holding an 11-point lead, 60-49, with less than two minutes remaining from the beginning of the Elam Ending, the AfterShocks were astonished to watch their lead dwindle to three points when Stevens scored eight straight points in less than 70 seconds.
The barrage continued once the target score was set at 70 with the AfterShocks leading 62-57, as Jefferson and Stevens delivered another pair of haymakers from beyond the arc to put Bleed Green up, 63-62.
When Clevin Hannah scored with a crafty move and finish at the basket to put the AfterShocks in front, Jefferson responded with a triple for a 66-65 lead. When the AfterShocks executed an end-of-shot-clock play that ended with Conner Frankamp being fouled and making three free throws, Stevens responded with yet another three-pointer to silence the crowd for a 69-68 lead.
“That one was one of the most nerve-wracking games because the other team was just making crazy tough shots,” McDuffie said. “It just felt like whoever had the last possession of the game was going to win.”
“I don’t know if we could have got another stop,” Bush said. “They were that good and they were just in a zone. During that last timeout, we were absolutely thinking, ‘We have to win the game right here on this one.’”
With the game on the line, the all-WSU coaching staff of Bush, Garrett Stutz and J.R. Simon made sure they had five former Shockers on the floor for the final play call: a staple of the Gregg Marshall playbook that every WSU player has executed, named “Jacksonville.”
It’s a play that relies on tempo and timing, as the point guard passes the ball to the corner, then a back screen is set underneath the basket for the big man to come off and catch the pass from the corner for an easy score.
Just like it has so many times at Koch Arena for the last decade-plus, the play ended in a basket when Hannah hit Rashard Kelly in the corner, Frankamp put his whole body into screening the Bleed Green big man and Willis had the advantage when he caught the ball to finish with his reliable left hand over a smaller defender.
“There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be open,” Willis said. “Rashard gave me a great pass and I’m thankful for him and thankful for Conner making that wonderful back screen to get me open.”
For the players, the wild celebrations are something they never had following their college games at Wichita State, which didn’t have the dramatics of an Elam Ending.
“It’s just extremely fun for everyone,” Frankamp said. “I think everybody knows that we had some tough times here at Wichita State, so for us to be able to come back and win and celebrate like this together is super special. I know everyone loves coming back for this and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Last summer’s run to the TBT quarterfinals was more of a surprise. Not only were the AfterShocks expecting a repeat this time around, but they feel more confident than ever that this could be the team to make a run at the $1 million prize.
They are now three wins away with the advantage of playing one extra game in front of their home crowd on Wednesday.
“We definitely feel like we have a chance to do something special here,” McDuffie said. “And the fact that they gave us another home game, I think everything is in our favor to do something special this time.”
