19 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Basketball Tournament starts tomorrow in Wichita, and three alumni teams from Kansas are ready for the competition.
None of the three alumni teams for Wichita State (AfterShocks), Kansas State (Purple & Black), and Kansas (Mass Street) can wait for the 2023 TBT to tip off on Wednesday.
“These fans are, without a question, they are the best fans of the TBT,” said AfterShocks Head Coach Zach Bush. “They’ve proven it time and time again. It’s a special feeling. It always gives me butterflies.”
“We’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve got a lot of guys who play the right way and are talented at every position,” AfterShocks forward Trey Wade said. “So it’s going to be fun, we just have to mesh and drill, and we’ll be OK.”
Mass Street is the only alumni team in action on Wednesday against We Are D3. They had practice Tuesday at Trinity Academy in Wichita. This will be the first time since 2019 that a KU alumni team will be competing. This year the squad is coached by Markieff and Marcus Morris.
“Everybody is committed,” Marcus said. “I actually came on late, and I was seeing that they were doing something special, and I just wanted to be involved.”
“I feel good just being able to come in and practice with each other,” added Mass Street forward Thomas Robinson. “It’s not going to look pretty though. I expected us to look a little rough in the beginning, but after a while, we’ll dial it in, and we’ll know who we are as players, and that should kick in.”