K-State Sports
MANHATTAN – Senior Markquis Nowell became Kansas State’s first All-American in a decade on Tuesday morning when he was selected to the Third Team by The Sporting News.
Nowell was joined on the Third Team by Iowa’s Kris Murray, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Memphis’ Kendric Davis and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot.
The First Team included Purdue’s Zach Edey, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme. The Second Team consisted of UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez, Jr., Arizona’s Azoulas Tubelis, Houston’s Marcus Sasser, Penn State’s Jalen Pickett and Marquette’s Tyler Kolek.
Nowell is the first Wildcat to earn All-America honors since Rodney McGruder was an honorable mention selection by the AP in 2013. He is the ninth player in school history to be chosen an All-American by The Sporting News and the first since Jacob Pullen earned Third Team accolades in 2011.
The honors continued to pile up for the 5-foot-7, 160-pound point guard from Harlem, N.Y., who was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award on March 6, a day after being selected to the All-Big 12 First Team as well as the All-Defensive Team by the league coaches. The 3-time Big 12 Player of the Week and consensus National Player of the Week on January 9 has also been chosen to the Midseason National Player of the Year Watch Lists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Award.
Nowell is averaging 17 points on 37.6 percent (146-of-388) from the field, including 35.6 percent (74-of-208) from 3-point range, and 88.5 percent (162-of-183) from the free throw line to go along with a Big 12-best 7.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 36.4 minutes per game. He ranks in the Big 12’s top-3 in 13 categories, including tops in assists (238), assists/game, free throws made (162) and attempted (183), free throw percentage, steals (76), steals/game and minutes.
Nowell finished Big 12 play, ranking first in 6 categories, including scoring (19.5 ppg.), 3-point field goals/game (2.8), assists (7.2 apg.), steals (2.8 spg.), free throw percentage (91.1) and minutes (38.8 mpg.).
Nowell ranks third nationally in assists/game (7.7 apg.) and total assists (238), while he is among the top-20 in 5 other categories, including fifth in steals (76), eighth in steals/game (2.5 spg.), 13th in free throws made (162), 19th in minutes/game (36.3) and 20th in free throw percentage. He has 8 games of 10 or more assists this season, while he has 7 double-doubles (points/assists), including the school’s first 30-10 double-double with 32 points and 14 assists in the win at No. 19/16 Baylor on Jan. 7.
K-State has clinched a bye to the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 seed and No. 22/22 TCU (20-11, 9-9 Big 12) at 8:30 p.m., CT on Thursday.