TBT suspends Marcus Keene indefinitely after fights at Wichita quarterfinal

WICHITA, Kan. — The Basketball Tournament has suspended Marcus Keene from TBT occasions indefinitely following postgame actions after Monday night time’s quarterfinal between JHX Hoops and the AfterShocks.

“After reviewing the postgame actions following last night’s game between JHX Hoops and AfterShocks, TBT decided this morning to suspend Marcus Keene from TBT events indefinitely,” TBT stated in an announcement. “While TBT is all about passionate competition, we expect our players to treat their fellow competitors with professionalism and integrity at all times. We look forward to concluding this year’s tournament with intense, high-stakes games that are enjoyable for fans and participants alike.”

The AfterShocks and Wichita State each issued statements on Tuesday, at some point after two fights marred a quarterfinal matchup between the WSU alumni staff and JHX, an alumni staff from the University of Kansas.

The first set of technical fouls got here late within the second quarter.

A scuffle beneath the basket led to the ejections of former Shocker Rashard Kelly and Mario Chalmers, who received the nationwide championship with KU in 2008.

Several different gamers have been ejected for leaving the bench to hitch the skirmish: James Woodard, Morris Udeze, Chaunce Jenkins and QJ Peterson for the AfterShocks; and Jamari Traylor, Kevin Young and Tra’Deon Hollins for JHX.

JHX received the sport 64-59, beating the defending champions to advance to the semifinals. After the buzzer, one other battle broke out.

A girl on the JHX Hoops employees broke her nostril within the scuffle.

“I’ve seen altercations, little scuffles here and there and it got broken up, but I mean we’re talking about two to three fights. Like, actual fights at a basketball game,” stated Morgan Balderas, who noticed the battle. “It was pretty crazy.”

Video shot by Balderas exhibits AfterShocks’ Marcus Keene get bodily with JHX Hoops’ Jacob Hanna. Hanna’s teammate, Zeke Mayo, confronts Keene at the scorer’s desk earlier than the 2 are separated by gamers and employees, then Keene seems to push Hanna to the bottom.

That’s when the battle spilled into the stands. An AfterShocks fan appeared to report at JHX Hoops’ Billy Preston.

“I think what sucks really is like, I saw so many little kids out there, so you start to wonder, you know, you want to put your kids in an environment so they can watch basketball and you can have a good time at a family event, and then this happens,” Balderas stated. “It’s like, maybe I shouldn’t have taken my child to a basketball game.”

The AfterShocks expressed regret for his or her function within the fights, which included fan involvement following the sport.

“We are deeply regretful for the incident that occurred following (Monday) night’s game,” stated the Wichita State alumni staff in an announcement. “Since we launched the AfterShocks in 2019, we’ve great pride in the way we represent our community through a high standard of professionalism, sportsmanship and respect for everyone involved.

“The events that followed last night’s game did not reflect that standard. We sincerely apologize to our fans, TBT and the JHX Hoops organization. We’d like to thank our fans for the continued support, and are eager to move forward in a manner that reflects the values ​​of the AfterShocks organization.”

AfterShocks coach Zach Bush declined to go on camera to discuss the incidents.

WSU also issued a statement through a spokesperson.

“We are deeply disturbed by the incident at the basketball game,” the assertion stated. “Violence does not belong in our community or at sporting events. This event was hosted and managed by The Basketball Tournament. Security was provided for the event, including both private security personnel and university police.

“Because the incident stays below overview, the college is unable to offer extra particulars. Questions relating to occasion operations and occasion security protocols needs to be directed to The Basketball Tournament.”

Balderas said she hopes the fights do not hurt Wichita’s chances at hosting, or negatively impact the Kansas teams.

“We love watching these video games collectively as a neighborhood. Social media blows up like loopy with these items, and it places the town of Wichita on the map,” Balderas said. “Last night, it might have put us on the map for the wrong reasons.”

Wichita State University Police are investigating the incident. No arrests have been made.