‘We’re going to make them’: Wichita State players want Shocker fans to fill Koch Arena
At this point, it’s almost a legend within the Wichita State men’s basketball program.
None of the players or the coaches have ever experienced the power of 10,506 strong at Koch Arena during their time at WSU. Sold-out nights at the Roundhouse haven’t been a thing at 21st and Hillside since the coronavirus pandemic abruptly ended the 2019-20 season.
They’ve only been told stories of how incredible the game-day atmosphere can be at Koch Arena. But nothing quite measures up to hearing the deafening roar when the Shockers are on a run against a good opponent in the Roundhouse.
It’s an experience they plan on having sooner rather than later.
“Tonight was just a little teaser,” junior Kenny Pohto said after WSU’s 80-68 win over Richmond in front of 6,195 fans on Wednesday. “It was pretty loud, but the more we win games, the more they’re going to come back. And we’re going to make them come back. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
A myriad of reasons can explain why attendance has dwindled in recent seasons, but WSU believes the most simple way it can fill Koch Arena again is to win.
And that’s exactly what the Shockers have done this season under first-year head coach Paul Mills, who has guided WSU to a 7-1 start and a perfect record at home, which now includes its highest-rated victory, at least by KenPom’s metrics, since 2022 with the win over Richmond.
WSU has a chance to score an even more significant victory this weekend with a road trip to Missouri before returning to Wichita for the annual Intrust Bank Arena game against South Dakota State on Saturday, Dec. 9.
“People want to see representation,” Mills said. “Whenever they come to a game, nobody is paying to watch players not play hard. Nobody is paying to watch players play selfishly and not play team basketball. That’s why character is so important. Do you have guys that want to do the right thing, not only on the court but off of it? We have that.”
Wednesday’s crowd was no larger than the ones WSU has played in front of earlier this season, yet it felt like a breakthrough occurred during the second half of the Richmond game.
Mills, who had been mostly stoic in games so far this season, broke out of his shell and frantically waved his arms like an orchestra conductor to call for more crowd noise at the heels of a critical 10-0 run by WSU.
Delighted by the fiery emotion from their new coach, Shocker fans responded by immediately raising the volume. After the game, WSU radio announcer Mike Kennedy told Mills it was the loudest Koch Arena has been since the pandemic.
“I thought the crowd was great and they were vocal,” Mills said. “We needed their help in those moments with those stops. Everybody knows how difficult of a place it is to play in Charles Koch Arena. Everybody knows how passionate this fan base is.”
That home-court advantage slipped last season when the Shockers finished with an 8-8 record at Koch Arena. Once a feared place for conference opponents, WSU was just 3-6 against American Athletic Conference teams on its home court last season.
After Wednesday’s game, Colby Rogers said he couldn’t hear the referee’s whistle blow during the rally — and that was at half-capacity. He said Wednesday was the loudest he’s ever heard it inside Koch Arena, but Rogers also knows it can go up another couple levels.
The players know a portion of WSU fans are still on the fence, waiting to see how the team performs under a new head coach. They long for the days when the Shockers were competing for championships and playing their brand of hard-nosed basketball. Before they spend their money to return, they want to know they will be getting a quality product.
They hope performances like the one on Wednesday will convince them to sell out Koch Arena once again and give the players an experience they were once promised on their recruiting visit.
“Obviously we would love more fans to be here, but I think the more we win, the more people will show up,” Rogers said. “That’s kind of how it works everywhere. As long as we keep our focus and keep winning, the fans will come and support. I think they want to support a team that plays hard and if we keep showing that on the court, the fans will come.”
