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0 Markquis Nowell, who grew up in Harlem but had never played at Madison Square Garden before this N.C.A.A. tournament, is everything New York fans tend to love and respect.
Because he grew up here, he uses a play on the nickname Mr. New York City as a social media handle. At 5-foot-7, he is a charismatic and confident showman who talked this week about when, not if, he would “get inducted” into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. And, as he tries to lead Kansas State into the Final Four, it’s clear he sees the Garden as not just another basketball floor, but as a stage.
With several celebrities watching the Wildcats play Michigan State on Thursday night, Nowell said he shouted “watch this” toward the former N.B.A. star Isiah Thomas before delivering a spellbinding alley-oop pass to Keyontae Johnson, who finished it with a reverse dunk to break a tie for good in overtime.
It was but one of many big moments for Nowell, who played on a bad ankle for the latter part of the game but still finished with 20 points and 19 assists, a tournament record, as well as 5 steals.
“Yeah, I was talking to Isiah Thomas because I think he had a friend over there, and he was rooting for them,” Nowell said. “And I’m like, y’all not going to win today, and I just kept looking at him for some added motivation. But it was nothing but cool vibes with them over there.”
The East regional at the Garden is sandwiched between two quintessential New York events: a Rangers hockey game last Tuesday night and a Billy Joel concert on Sunday. It is giving players like Nowell the chance to play on one of the biggest stages in sports, in the nation’s largest media market. For some players, including Nowell, it’s a new way to see a familiar place. For others, it’s a fully new experience of a place they’ve only heard about.
“NYC Basketball is built different,” Carmelo Anthony, the former Knicks star, tweeted in the hours after Nowell answered questions from a throng of reporters at Anthony’s old locker in the Knicks locker room.
The New York Post and The New York Daily News both declared Nowell the “king” — at least for a night.
Joel Fisher, an executive vice president of Madison Square Garden in charge of marquee events, could not have envisioned the game would play out as an instant classic, but he said he was excited to see the enthusiasm from players about the arena as a destination to perform.
“I think it’s incredibly important for not only the New York guys to play here, but any of these players to play here,” Fisher said. He added that the Garden was pushing to have N.C.A.A. tournament games return in 2027.
Michigan State guard Tyson Walker, who was on the losing end of the thriller to Kansas State, played against Nowell when they both competed in New York’s league for Catholic schools, with Walker playing for Christ the King and Nowell for Bishop Loughlin.
“I wish we’d be having practice tomorrow, but we don’t,” Walker said after putting up 16 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. “We played hard. We put some games together. You can’t be mad about it.”
Both Nowell and Walker transferred to larger programs during their college careers. Nowell’s best offer coming out high school was from St. Peter’s, the darling of last year’s N.C.A.A. men’s tournament. He ended up at Arkansas-Little Rock before transferring to Kansas State in 2021.
“We’re not here without Markquis Nowell staying,” Kansas State Coach Jerome Tang said.
Nowell never played at the Garden before but is a student of its history. He knows about how the former Connecticut guard Kemba Walker led the Huskies to five wins in five days to capture the 2011 Big East tournament title, and, ultimately, the N.C.A.A. championship. He’s watched other area guards perform well on the big stage, too.
“I grew up watching Kemba Walker, Isaiah Briscoe, Isaiah Whitehead, and they all did some legendary things in their career,” he said. “That inspired me to keep working hard and do similar things that they’ve done.”
In the aftermath of Thursday’s win, Nowell estimated that he had received 200 to 300 text messages and said he had heard from Anthony, Thomas, Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell, among others.
He also said he “moved around” a little at practice on Friday and that his ankle was feeling “85 to 90 percent.” He injured the ankle during the game on Thursday and seemed hesitant to put weight on it as he was helped off the court. But then he returned and, despite some moments of limping, continued his brilliant game.
Nowell said he felt a burning desire to help Kansas State reach the Final Four for the first time since 1964.
“We are the underdogs because, you know, we haven’t made it to the Final Four in 60 years,” he said.
After Michigan State’s first-round win, Coach Tom Izzo said he tried to motivate his team to earn the opportunity to compete at the Garden.
“This is a privilege and an honor, and it’s something you should dream about when you’re out shooting baskets outside,” Izzo said. “A chance to play in Madison Square Garden, which, growing up in New York, it’s probably even bigger than it is growing up in the Midwest.”
For Tang, who was born in Trinidad, this was his first experience as a head coach in the building. He will have the opportunity to coach another game there on Saturday, with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
“It’s a dream come true for kids, adults,” he said ahead of Thursday’s game. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time as a head coach or like Coach Izzo, his 25th consecutive N.C.A.A. tournament. ”
Florida Atlantic Coach Dusty May and his team flew commercial from Columbus, Ohio, the site of their second-round win over No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, to New York on Sunday. He gave them the rest of the day to experience the city.
“Some of them did Broadway shows, some of them went to Times Square,” May said. “They did whatever they wanted to do in the city, and then we said on Monday we attacked Tennessee preparation with 100 percent focus.”
Giancarlo Rosado, a sophomore forward from West Palm Beach, Fla., said it was an eye-opening experience as a teammate, Nick Boyd, showed them around.
“I was just soaking everything in,” said Johnell Davis, a sophomore guard from Gary, Ind., who was in New York for the first time. He added: “Coming from where I come from, you don’t see nobody like this for real.”
Boyd grew up in Garnerville, N.Y., about 44 miles north of the Garden, and attended two high schools in New Jersey. He had been in the stands for many games at the Garden as a fan because his uncle, Fred Hill, used to coach at Rutgers.
Without an offer from any Division I or Division II school, Boyd opted to spend a prep year at Don Bosco Institute in Indiana in 2019-20, where he added weight, developed his game as a point guard and was eventually noticed by May on a recruiting visit.
“Nick’s story is like a breath of fresh air in today’s social media-driven, superstar, transfer portal world,” said Don Bosco Institute Coach Dave Maravilla.
In his first game at the Garden as a player, Boyd, like Nowell, did not shy from the spotlight, finishing with 12 points and 8 rebounds. After helping to lead the Owls to the round of 8 in just their second N.C.A.A. tournament appearance, he got up on a table courtside and looked at his many family and friends in attendance, puffing out his blue F.A.U. jersey with pride.
“It felt great,” he said, adding, “I just had to stand on the table and celebrate.”
