On his way to Tasmania to take part of the JackJumpers 22/23 season, new import forward Rashard Kelly has made one last basketball stop before heading to Australia. Kelly is taking part in The Basketball Tournament which is held in the United States, and has helped guide his team, the AfterShocks, to a quarter final berth
The Basketball Tournament (or TBT as its more commonly known) is an annual invitational 64-team knockout competition with one million dollar prize for the winners . TBT has a strong NBL flavor this year with past and current NBL players taking part include Casper Ware, Dusty Hannahs, James Ennis, Jerome Randle, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Xavier Munford, Mitch Creek and several others.
Kelly and the Aftershocks reach semifinals
The AfterShocks are a team comprised of former Wichita State University basketball players, which Kelly was a member of from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
Drawing from a mix of young and senior talent, they feaure a very deep squad which sees them spread minutes across all 11 players on the roster, with only a handful of players playing more than 20 minutes a night. This team-first approach is working well so far, with the AfterShocks reaching the quarter finals after four straight wins
Across those four games Kelly has been playing in a small forward role, and has been a solid contributer on the defensive end.
In their opening 83-52 win over We Are D3, Kelly saw 8 minutes of action, but had 9 points (4/5 FG, 1/2 3pt) 3 steals and a rebound. His impact highlighted below.
They made it two from two with a 70-60 win over the Air Raiders. Kelly played 18 minutes and struggled with his shooting (1-8 overall) but managed 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
The AfterShockers then made it 3 straight with a tight 70-69 win over Bleed Green and qualify for the quarter finals. Kelly stuffed the stat sheet with 9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and a block in 19 minutes. He also played a key role in the winning basket, feeding Darral Willis on a set play for the game winning layup.
Then most recently on Thursday, Kelly played a huge part in his side’s 74-67 quarter final victory over the Gutter Cat Gang. Down to only 7 active players, Kelly played extended minutes to help team come from behind to secure a spot in the semi finals. Across 25 minutes he had 11 points (including 2/3 from outside), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. He also had the steal and assist on the game winning basket.
Overall
It’s only a limited sample size but what will excite most JackJumpers fans with these performances is that despite not scoring big numbers, he is still impacting the game on the defensive end. He has stepped out to knock down threes, become a facilitator, and seems a very team-oriented player that is willing to change his role each night to suit the team.
He also has been pumping up the crowd, celebrating hard with his teammates and seems quite a charater that will no dobt be a fan favorite once he hits Tasmania with his family.
The Aftershocks will be in action in the TBT semi finals against Americana for Autism on Sunday 31 July at 8am. With coverage on ESPN2 in Australia.
