Kansas State University Athletics
For Nowell, It’s Always Been Heart Over Height
Feb 22, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Whether it be scoring in double digits one night or dishing out a bunch of assists and snatching steals in another outing, indomitable Division I transfer junior guard Markquis Nowell continues to grind away through the Big 12 Conference season as one of the more unique stories in recent Kansas State basketball history.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Nowell, a native of Harlem, New York, arrived at K-State this past summer after spending two seasons at Little Rock, where he led the Trojans in almost every statistical category en route to Lou Henson All-America honors his sophomore season.
Nowell sought a new challenge with a major Division I program and is providing excitement for the Wildcats, 14-12 overall and 6-8 in the Big 12, who rely on his bevy of versatility to complement top scorers in sophomore Nijel Pack (17.2) and Division I transfer Mark Smith (12.2) from Missouri. Interestingly, K-State head coach Bruce Weber recruited Nowell, one of the smallest players in school history, to serve as Pack's backup. Weber discovered early on that both Pack and Nowell deserved spots in the starting lineup.
Through 26 games, Nowell has steadily made a name for himself in his first season in Manhattan.
"It's been a long road," he says. "It's been a great one because you learn each and every day. Every day I wake up and have a purpose and the purpose is to get better and to figure out how my team can win and to do whatever it takes to win."
Nowell is just one of two Big 12 players to rank in the top 15 in scoring (13th at 12.1) and top 5 in assists (2nd at 5.0), steals (1st at 2.3) and assist/turnover ratio (2nd at 2.03). He also ranks ninth with 1.58 3-pointers per contest and can hit 27-footers with relative ease. Nowell's shooting effort was at its best in a 78-73 win over the Mountaineers on February 14. He went 7 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and his 21-point, 2-rebound, 3-assist, and 3-steal performance was his best yet against a league foe.
"The efficiency is unbelievable," K-State head coach Bruce Weber says. "His improvement and growth are unbelievable. He's not perfect and makes a mistake at times but when he does it's not out of selfishness or disrespect. He's just trying to make a play.
"The biggest thing I've talked to him about is every game is different and every play is different, and you can't get something in your mind. You must play the game and be disciplined in the game. We need him on the court. He has little mistakes, but he's made a lot of strides from the beginning of the year."
The only player in K-State history to record three points/assists double-doubles in a season and career, Nowell had 11 points and 11 assists against Marquette on December 8, and 18 points and 10 assists against McNeese on December 21. Then Nowell had 10 points and 10 assists at West Virginia on January 8, which is believed to be the first by a Wildcat in his first conference game.
"I just feel like the assists come from knowing my teammates and how they like the ball," Nowell says. "It's just a learning process. That's not even the strongest part of my game. Once I start shooting the ball at an efficient rate that's when my game is going to start coming on."
Although Nowell has at times been up and down from the floor (.391) and beyond the arc (.317), he ranks third on the team from the free-throw line (.828) and is at the foul line (22 of 27) more than any player in the final 5 minutes. He also ranks second in 20-point games (2) and double-digit scoring games (17) while also doing things that don't necessarily show up in a box score.
"He brings defensive tenacity and he's one of the best on-ball defenders," Pack says. "He gets steals, he gets in the passing lane, and he gets under people and makes them uncomfortable. On offense, he's that all-around player. He's a playmaker and can definitely get everyone involved and can get himself involved as well. He brings that all-around package that doesn't allow defenses to focus so much on me because they have to focus on him as well."
When K-State trailed by 7 points with under 4 minutes left at Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nowell helped lead the charge back to force overtime. He stole a pass in transition and stop-and-popped from the top of the arc to draw K-State to within 66-64 with 2:05 remaining. He drove the lane and found Kaosi Ezeagu inside for a dunk to tie it at 66-66 with 54 seconds to go. Nowell's 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime just fell short in an 82-79 loss, but there's no questioning his effort. Nowell had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against the Cowboys.
"Markquis is a little warrior," Smith says. "He's darned near one of the strongest guys on the team. Everyone knows his mentality and he's going to bring that every day. He's going to fight regardless of the situation."
As for Nowell's mentality? That's pinned to his Twitter account: "HEART OVER HEIGHT" his Twitter post reads — a calling card of sorts that, much like his energetic play, beams confidence and determination.
"I was always short since the beginning," Nowell says. "It started really in high school. I just brought the passion, hunger, and grit each and every game. Heart over height. It made me feel good that you could be the shortest guy on the team but at the end of the day fans know who gives their heart and who gives the most passion. That's what I try to do out there is give it my all and at the end of the day win lose if I give it my all I can live with it."
The fruits of Nowell's labor during his first season in in the Little Apple appears to be manifesting itself in fascinating ways. He could join Steve Henson as the only players in K-State history to rank top 10 in the school record books in both assists and steals in a single season. Henson ranks ninth with 141 assists and seventh with 62 steals during the 1989-90 season. Nowell is on pace to reach the top 10 in both assists (120) and steals (55) as well.
Surviving and thriving in the Big 12 has been a learning experience for Nowell, who will visit Allen Fieldhouse for the first time when K-State visits Kansas at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Wildcats finish out the regular season against Iowa State on February 26, visit Texas Tech on February 28, and face Oklahoma on March 5. The Big 12 Championship begins on March 9 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
"The Big 12 is really everything everybody talks about," Nowell says. "It's a hard-nosed, tough, competitive league. You've got to bring your A game and be a professional in this game and that's something I take pride in."
It also helps when one of the smallest players in school history brings one of the biggest hearts onto the court.
Whether it be scoring in double digits one night or dishing out a bunch of assists and snatching steals in another outing, indomitable Division I transfer junior guard Markquis Nowell continues to grind away through the Big 12 Conference season as one of the more unique stories in recent Kansas State basketball history.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Nowell, a native of Harlem, New York, arrived at K-State this past summer after spending two seasons at Little Rock, where he led the Trojans in almost every statistical category en route to Lou Henson All-America honors his sophomore season.
Nowell sought a new challenge with a major Division I program and is providing excitement for the Wildcats, 14-12 overall and 6-8 in the Big 12, who rely on his bevy of versatility to complement top scorers in sophomore Nijel Pack (17.2) and Division I transfer Mark Smith (12.2) from Missouri. Interestingly, K-State head coach Bruce Weber recruited Nowell, one of the smallest players in school history, to serve as Pack's backup. Weber discovered early on that both Pack and Nowell deserved spots in the starting lineup.
Through 26 games, Nowell has steadily made a name for himself in his first season in Manhattan.
"It's been a long road," he says. "It's been a great one because you learn each and every day. Every day I wake up and have a purpose and the purpose is to get better and to figure out how my team can win and to do whatever it takes to win."
Nowell is just one of two Big 12 players to rank in the top 15 in scoring (13th at 12.1) and top 5 in assists (2nd at 5.0), steals (1st at 2.3) and assist/turnover ratio (2nd at 2.03). He also ranks ninth with 1.58 3-pointers per contest and can hit 27-footers with relative ease. Nowell's shooting effort was at its best in a 78-73 win over the Mountaineers on February 14. He went 7 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and his 21-point, 2-rebound, 3-assist, and 3-steal performance was his best yet against a league foe.
"The efficiency is unbelievable," K-State head coach Bruce Weber says. "His improvement and growth are unbelievable. He's not perfect and makes a mistake at times but when he does it's not out of selfishness or disrespect. He's just trying to make a play.
"The biggest thing I've talked to him about is every game is different and every play is different, and you can't get something in your mind. You must play the game and be disciplined in the game. We need him on the court. He has little mistakes, but he's made a lot of strides from the beginning of the year."
The only player in K-State history to record three points/assists double-doubles in a season and career, Nowell had 11 points and 11 assists against Marquette on December 8, and 18 points and 10 assists against McNeese on December 21. Then Nowell had 10 points and 10 assists at West Virginia on January 8, which is believed to be the first by a Wildcat in his first conference game.
"I just feel like the assists come from knowing my teammates and how they like the ball," Nowell says. "It's just a learning process. That's not even the strongest part of my game. Once I start shooting the ball at an efficient rate that's when my game is going to start coming on."
Although Nowell has at times been up and down from the floor (.391) and beyond the arc (.317), he ranks third on the team from the free-throw line (.828) and is at the foul line (22 of 27) more than any player in the final 5 minutes. He also ranks second in 20-point games (2) and double-digit scoring games (17) while also doing things that don't necessarily show up in a box score.
"He brings defensive tenacity and he's one of the best on-ball defenders," Pack says. "He gets steals, he gets in the passing lane, and he gets under people and makes them uncomfortable. On offense, he's that all-around player. He's a playmaker and can definitely get everyone involved and can get himself involved as well. He brings that all-around package that doesn't allow defenses to focus so much on me because they have to focus on him as well."
When K-State trailed by 7 points with under 4 minutes left at Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nowell helped lead the charge back to force overtime. He stole a pass in transition and stop-and-popped from the top of the arc to draw K-State to within 66-64 with 2:05 remaining. He drove the lane and found Kaosi Ezeagu inside for a dunk to tie it at 66-66 with 54 seconds to go. Nowell's 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime just fell short in an 82-79 loss, but there's no questioning his effort. Nowell had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against the Cowboys.
"Markquis is a little warrior," Smith says. "He's darned near one of the strongest guys on the team. Everyone knows his mentality and he's going to bring that every day. He's going to fight regardless of the situation."
As for Nowell's mentality? That's pinned to his Twitter account: "HEART OVER HEIGHT" his Twitter post reads — a calling card of sorts that, much like his energetic play, beams confidence and determination.
"I was always short since the beginning," Nowell says. "It started really in high school. I just brought the passion, hunger, and grit each and every game. Heart over height. It made me feel good that you could be the shortest guy on the team but at the end of the day fans know who gives their heart and who gives the most passion. That's what I try to do out there is give it my all and at the end of the day win lose if I give it my all I can live with it."
The fruits of Nowell's labor during his first season in in the Little Apple appears to be manifesting itself in fascinating ways. He could join Steve Henson as the only players in K-State history to rank top 10 in the school record books in both assists and steals in a single season. Henson ranks ninth with 141 assists and seventh with 62 steals during the 1989-90 season. Nowell is on pace to reach the top 10 in both assists (120) and steals (55) as well.
Surviving and thriving in the Big 12 has been a learning experience for Nowell, who will visit Allen Fieldhouse for the first time when K-State visits Kansas at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Wildcats finish out the regular season against Iowa State on February 26, visit Texas Tech on February 28, and face Oklahoma on March 5. The Big 12 Championship begins on March 9 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
"The Big 12 is really everything everybody talks about," Nowell says. "It's a hard-nosed, tough, competitive league. You've got to bring your A game and be a professional in this game and that's something I take pride in."
It also helps when one of the smallest players in school history brings one of the biggest hearts onto the court.
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