Wichita State basketball fans make their presence felt in opening Myrtle Beach game

More than 1,300 miles from Koch Arena, Wichita State fans made their presence felt in the opening-round game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday.

Even though the Shockers were playing on the home court of Coastal Carolina, it felt like a home game for Wichita State with an estimated 300 fans making a rowdy environment in the HTC Center in Conway, S.C.

After Wichita State’s 86-77 win over Coastal Carolina, head coach Paul Mills gave his fan base their props.

“Wichita State and Shocker nation are well known for supporting their basketball program, so they were phenomenal,” Mills said. “It helps, especially when you’re on the road because you know how quickly these tides can turn. To have the support that we’ve got, we don’t take it for granted.”

Outside of Wyoming, WSU’s fan base had the furthest to travel to Myrtle Beach, but the Shocker contingent was by far the most of any of the seven visiting schools.

According to WSU athletic director Kevin Saal, more than 30 fans paid for the package to travel with the team to Myrtle Beach. He was pleased to see so many more fans join on their own on Thursday.

Tim Simmons, a media relations director for the tournament, said it is likely the second-largest visiting fan base, behind only West Virginia, in the tournament’s history since 2018.

“Shocker nation did a really good job of getting down here,” Saal said. “I know it gives our guys a lift and gives them some energy when they turn around and see a couple hundred folks and hear them and feel them in the game. I thought our crowd performed better than the home crowd.”

That difference was felt down the stretch of a close game, as Coastal Carolina trimmed a 16-point lead down to 66-63 with more than nine minutes left.

Because the HTC Center only holds 3,212 fans, the WSU cheering section was louder than normal in a smaller gymnasium.

“It was really cool to see (WSU fans) travel so much,” said WSU junior Xavier Bell, who scored a WSU career-high 20 points in the win. “Just to show that support that Shocker fans do have, it’s a testament to our fan base.”

Having so many fans travel with the Shockers on the road has also made for an enjoyable experience for the players’ families, who are regulars on road trips.

The friends and families are mingling with WSU fans who made the trip to Myrtle Beach, where they ate and conversed together on Thursday before the game and made the 30-minute trip to Coastal Carolina’s campus in Conway together.

“This is Dalen’s fourth school and we really love the Wichita State fans,” said Charmain Ridgnal-Wright, the grandmother of WSU senior forward Dalen Ridgnal. “The fan base is something totally different than we’ve had in the past. So we’re really enjoying ourselves.”

For Colby Rogers’ father, Robert, it was his first taste of the WSU fan base outside of Koch Arena with his son playing.

He’s looking forward to an even rowdier environment for Friday’s 8 p.m. Central semifinal against Liberty.

“I was out there in Wichita last week for the three games, and I was like, ‘Maybe it’s just the arena,’” Robert Rogers said. “Then I come out here and all I see is black and gold everywhere. Let me tell you, these Shocker fans are amazing. I love it. I love it.”