Little Apple Times

After a three-year hiatus, Markquis Nowell is home. He's back in New York City. He grew up down the road on 109th and Lexington, in Harlem, where he groomed his style and consistency shooting tough in parks, and where he became known across the city, like Kemba Walker before him.

Nowell sits underneath the lights at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball, where Carmelo Anthony once scored 62 points, where Kobe Bryant once scored 61, and where Stephen Curry and LeBron James each dropped 54. The court, the corridors and the smell are distinct — fitting for arguably the most unique player remaining in the NCAA Tournament.

He's never before played inside Madison Square Garden. His biggest memories of basketball in New York City were watching Kemba Walker, Isiah Briscoe and Isaiah Whitehead play at Rucker Park. He grew up wanting to be like them. You have to be tough, understand, and Nowell is as tough as they come. The gritty customer is 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds and owns the Twitter handle @MrNewYorkCityy and proclaims in his Twitter bio: "Always Believed that One Day I Would Be Big. I Had My Own Faith. I Run Ny." Nowell's Twitter quote? "Underestimate me so I can embarrass you."

His mantra "Heart Over Height" adorns T-shirts around the Little Apple and is now a topic in the Big Apple.

"Heart over height — you don't determine somebody's destiny by their height, you determine it by their heart and passion," Nowell says. "That's something I live by and that I play my game after. Your heart is your biggest thing. I noticed that as a little kid and I live by that."

Asked to explain his unique Twitter handle, Nowell replies, "It's just the confidence that I have in myself. I made a promise to myself back when I was in high school that I was going to do everything and anything in my power to be the best player that came out of New York, so I keep that edge and that reminds me every day I wake up that I still have work to do.

"Guys like Carmelo and Bernard King and all the greats came out of New York. That just keeps me grounded and working hard." 

Nowell averages 17.1 points and ranks second in the nation with 7.8 assists per game. He ranks top-20 nationally in seven categories and ranks first in the Big 12 in eight categories. He's a third-team All-American, an All-Big 12 First Team selection, and a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the premier point guard in college basketball. 

After he scorched sixth-seed Kentucky for 27 points, including three key 3-pointers, and had nine assists and three steals in K-State's 75-69 win in the second round of the East Regional in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday, social media went abuzz.

Tyler Hansborough tweeted: "ABSOLUTELY Nowell has been my favorite player to watch all year! Best show in college!"
Dick Vitale tweeted: "The smallest guy in size 5'7 MARKQUIS NOWELL 27 pts & 9 assists was the Giant of Giants with the rock in his hands." 

Nowell takes all the national praise in stride. 

"It feels good, man, to see that your hard work and faith and everything is paying off. It's a blessing man." 

Nowell joins Ja Morant as the only NCAA player since 1990 to combine for 40 points and 20 assists in the tournament prior to playing in the Sweet 16. 

"Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moment," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "This is the biggest stage of college basketball and I'm really thankful that — we tell our guys all the time that hard work pays off. I'm really thankful that God is allowing his hard work to pay off right now." 

And Nowell and K-State will look for it to continue when the third-seeded Wildcats, 25-9, meet seventh-seed Michigan State, 21-12, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for the right to advance to the Elite Eight. 

When it comes to competition, Nowell seethes with confidence. 

"I determine how the game is going to go," he says. "I'm not really focused on what (Michigan State) did in the past versus other good point guards. I play in the toughest league in the country, which is the Big 12, and we have all types of Hall-of-Fame coaches who've scouted me, and tried to stop me, so I don't think that's going to be an issue. 

"I feel like this game is going to be Kansas State Wildcats versus Michigan State, and I'm going to do anything it takes to win the basketball game." 

There was a time when Nowell was uncertain if his path could come to this. He began his college career at Arkansas-Little Rock, then was able to transfer to K-State prior to last season. The Wildcats went 14-17 last season and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. 

Now he's here, under the lights, and he grins while sitting at the Sweet 16 news conference in the basketball mecca. 

"I've overcome a lot of odds," he says. "Just being in a mid-major school a couple years ago not knowing what my future may hold, but I just stuck with it and grinded and trusted my work. 

"I wouldn't say I've proven a lot of people wrong. I've proven myself right. Now that I'm here, it's a blessing, it's, it's — I'm speechless because God is good." 

It's about heart over height. Nobody exemplifies it better in college basketball. And Michigan State might find out for itself that there's no better point guard remaining in March Madness.

Original source can be found here