SE: Nowell Doing a Bit of Everything for the Cats
Dec 13, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Markquis Nowell is doing just fine as the starting point guard for Kansas State. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Division I transfer from Little Rock scored his most points as a Wildcat by pouring in 22 during an 82-64 victory over Green Bay on Sunday.
Nowell shot 7 of 13 from the floor, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, to go along with 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal. It marked the third straight game that Nowell has delivered as a starter. He scored his most points since he had 32 against Louisiana-Monroe on February 27, 2020. His previous high at K-State was 19 points against No. 14 Illinois on November 23.
"It's been great," Nowell said. "I can come off the bench or start. It really doesn't matter as long as I'm impacting the game and having fun. I'm just embracing my role. Whatever Coach needs me to do, whatever my teammates need me to do to win, I'm going to try and do that at the highest level. It's been great starting these last three games. I hope to keep that going."
Nowell has started the past three games in place of sophomore Nijel Pack, including the previous two that Pack missed due to a concussion. Pack, the Wildcats' leading scorer a year ago, was back on the floor against Green Bay but Bruce Weber opted to go with Nowell in the starting lineup and ease Pack into the game with limited minutes. Pack had 6 points on 2 of 5 shooting in his return.
Now comes the question: Could Weber use both Nowell and Pack in the starting lineup going forward?
"I just walked out of the locker room and said to the coaches, 'Can we start both of them?'" Weber said. "It's going to be hard not to. Obviously, they're going to play together. Offensively, there's no doubt that's our better team with those two. We'll have to wait and see how it goes, but it's going to be tough to take him out of the starting lineup with what he's done. There's no doubt."
Currently, nobody is playing better than Nowell for K-State, 6-3, which saw its two other Division I transfers Mike Smith and Ish Massoud score in double digits. Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Massoud had a season-high 17 points while going 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
"All three of us are just getting more comfortable with our roles," Smith said. "We've been having some good games recently. That's what we can bring to the table, all three of us. We transferred in to help the players who were returning. We're getting comfortable now in our roles."
Nowell might be the most comfortable player right now. He had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against Wichita State, and 11 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 steals against Marquette, nearly missing out on reaching the first triple-double in school history.
Nowell was mightily close to rare air on Sunday. Nobody has had back-to-back points/assists double-doubles in K-State history. In fact, only former All-American Jacob Pullen had two in a career.
"(Nowell) is a special player," Smith said. "He can do so many things — get to the basket, make good plays, knock down open shots. He really does a lot for us, especially defensively, so he's really the whole package. He leads us in offense. He's doing a phenomenal job right now and it's fun to play with him."
Nowell now averages 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals as a starter. Entering Sunday, he was one of just three Big 12 players to rank top 15 in scoring (14th), assists (5th) and steals (4th). He also leads the league in free-throw percentage (.870).
Through the first nine games of the season, he leads K-State in double-digit scoring games, assists and steals, and is second in scoring, field goals and 3-pointers.
"My position and role has changed from probably the sixth or seventh man off the bench to now being a starter," Nowell said. "As a team we're getting better and more comfortable with each other so it's making my job easier. We're getting more comfortable with our style of play.
"I'm not just playing for myself but for my teammates as well. As long as I do my part in getting them the ball, I have trust in them to hit their shots."
On Sunday, Nowell started off each half by sinking a 3-pointer for the Wildcats. He tied his previous season high on a pair of free throws with 15 minutes, 59 seconds left in the game. He eclipsed his season high on a 3-pointer from in front of the K-State bench with 10:21 remaining in the game.
Aside from his acrobatics while driving the lane to deliver tough shots, Nowell provided some of the biggest cheers from the crowd when he made a behind-the-back pass to Massoud for a wide-open 3-pointer for a 54-38 lead with 17:20 remaining.
"I probably do that move a lot," Nowell said. "I realized I could get the ball behind the back, so I just did it to entertain or to make a cool little play. Thank God, I didn't turn it over because Coach would've had a field day with me. I'm glad Ish made the shot."
Weber appreciates Nowell's growth after nine games.
"He's understanding that he doesn't have to make a play every time and he's letting the game come to him," Weber said. "I grabbed him before the Wichita State game when Nijel couldn't play and said, 'I need you to run it, take care of the ball, get us into things and let things happen.' He really wants to do well. We're trying to change habits. Self-discipline is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
"For him to have that self-discipline, you have to get it over the course of time. It doesn't just come. It comes slowly but surely."
As Nowell's self-discipline continues to improve, the rest of his game has apparently followed. It's leading to a fast rise for a budding star for the Wildcats.
"It's been great," Nowell said. "I'm just trying to get better each and every day."
Markquis Nowell is doing just fine as the starting point guard for Kansas State. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Division I transfer from Little Rock scored his most points as a Wildcat by pouring in 22 during an 82-64 victory over Green Bay on Sunday.
Nowell shot 7 of 13 from the floor, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, to go along with 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal. It marked the third straight game that Nowell has delivered as a starter. He scored his most points since he had 32 against Louisiana-Monroe on February 27, 2020. His previous high at K-State was 19 points against No. 14 Illinois on November 23.
"It's been great," Nowell said. "I can come off the bench or start. It really doesn't matter as long as I'm impacting the game and having fun. I'm just embracing my role. Whatever Coach needs me to do, whatever my teammates need me to do to win, I'm going to try and do that at the highest level. It's been great starting these last three games. I hope to keep that going."
Nowell has started the past three games in place of sophomore Nijel Pack, including the previous two that Pack missed due to a concussion. Pack, the Wildcats' leading scorer a year ago, was back on the floor against Green Bay but Bruce Weber opted to go with Nowell in the starting lineup and ease Pack into the game with limited minutes. Pack had 6 points on 2 of 5 shooting in his return.
Now comes the question: Could Weber use both Nowell and Pack in the starting lineup going forward?
"I just walked out of the locker room and said to the coaches, 'Can we start both of them?'" Weber said. "It's going to be hard not to. Obviously, they're going to play together. Offensively, there's no doubt that's our better team with those two. We'll have to wait and see how it goes, but it's going to be tough to take him out of the starting lineup with what he's done. There's no doubt."
Downhill delivery
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 12, 2021
🏀 Markquis Nowell #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/hKFDMyBDx2
Currently, nobody is playing better than Nowell for K-State, 6-3, which saw its two other Division I transfers Mike Smith and Ish Massoud score in double digits. Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Massoud had a season-high 17 points while going 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
"All three of us are just getting more comfortable with our roles," Smith said. "We've been having some good games recently. That's what we can bring to the table, all three of us. We transferred in to help the players who were returning. We're getting comfortable now in our roles."
Nowell might be the most comfortable player right now. He had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against Wichita State, and 11 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists and 3 steals against Marquette, nearly missing out on reaching the first triple-double in school history.
Nowell was mightily close to rare air on Sunday. Nobody has had back-to-back points/assists double-doubles in K-State history. In fact, only former All-American Jacob Pullen had two in a career.
"(Nowell) is a special player," Smith said. "He can do so many things — get to the basket, make good plays, knock down open shots. He really does a lot for us, especially defensively, so he's really the whole package. He leads us in offense. He's doing a phenomenal job right now and it's fun to play with him."
Nowell now averages 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals as a starter. Entering Sunday, he was one of just three Big 12 players to rank top 15 in scoring (14th), assists (5th) and steals (4th). He also leads the league in free-throw percentage (.870).
Through the first nine games of the season, he leads K-State in double-digit scoring games, assists and steals, and is second in scoring, field goals and 3-pointers.
"My position and role has changed from probably the sixth or seventh man off the bench to now being a starter," Nowell said. "As a team we're getting better and more comfortable with each other so it's making my job easier. We're getting more comfortable with our style of play.
"I'm not just playing for myself but for my teammates as well. As long as I do my part in getting them the ball, I have trust in them to hit their shots."
On Sunday, Nowell started off each half by sinking a 3-pointer for the Wildcats. He tied his previous season high on a pair of free throws with 15 minutes, 59 seconds left in the game. He eclipsed his season high on a 3-pointer from in front of the K-State bench with 10:21 remaining in the game.
Aside from his acrobatics while driving the lane to deliver tough shots, Nowell provided some of the biggest cheers from the crowd when he made a behind-the-back pass to Massoud for a wide-open 3-pointer for a 54-38 lead with 17:20 remaining.
"I probably do that move a lot," Nowell said. "I realized I could get the ball behind the back, so I just did it to entertain or to make a cool little play. Thank God, I didn't turn it over because Coach would've had a field day with me. I'm glad Ish made the shot."
Weber appreciates Nowell's growth after nine games.
"He's understanding that he doesn't have to make a play every time and he's letting the game come to him," Weber said. "I grabbed him before the Wichita State game when Nijel couldn't play and said, 'I need you to run it, take care of the ball, get us into things and let things happen.' He really wants to do well. We're trying to change habits. Self-discipline is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
"For him to have that self-discipline, you have to get it over the course of time. It doesn't just come. It comes slowly but surely."
As Nowell's self-discipline continues to improve, the rest of his game has apparently followed. It's leading to a fast rise for a budding star for the Wildcats.
"It's been great," Nowell said. "I'm just trying to get better each and every day."
Players Mentioned
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