Nine years after Gabe York lost to Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament, the former Arizona Wildcats guard suffered another defeat at the hands of the Shockers program.
York and fellow ex-Arizona guard Terrell Brown Jr. lost in The Basketball Tournament championship game Sunday as their Eberlein Drive fell to the Aftershocks in Wichita, Kansas in a winner-take-all contest for $1 million.
York couldn’t find his stroke, going 3 for 13 including 1 for 11 from 3-point range in the 82-67 loss. York had 11 points for the game, while Brown Jr. contributed eight points off the bench.
The Aftershocks, a collection of mostly Wichita State alums, had the benefit of playing a home game at Wichita State’s arena, the Charles Koch Center.
Eberlein Drive is an assortment of former D-1 players who compete for a Michigan-based team named after a street that the club’s general manager grew up on. The winner of TBT takes home a $1 million prize that is split among the team’s players, coach and GM.
York was Eberlein Drive’s top scorer throughout the single elimination 64-team tournament, but the Aftershocks successfully defended him Sunday.
Arizona fans will remember that York also struggled against Wichita State in the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament first round loss to the Shockers in 2016. York went 3 for 9 that game in 65-55 upset loss.
Multiple members of the 2015-16 Wichita State team play for the Aftershocks, including Conner Frankamp, who scored 10 points in the Shockers’ NCAA Tournament win.
One day York may avenge his Wichita State demons, but that day wasn’t Sunday.