Big 12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

19. Markquis Nowell

A 5’7 point guard from Harlem, Nowell never let his size get in the way because he had significant talent. His road to stardom wasn’t a direct journey, as Nowell’s career began as a relative unknown at Little Rock. After three seasons with the Trojans, he transferred to Kansas State, playing the last two seasons for the Wildcats and emerging as an elite athlete.

Nowell was a proficient scorer and ball distributor at Little Rock but he was even more with the Wildcats. He played his first season in Bruce Weber’s final campaign, averaging 12.4 points and 5.0 assists in what was a lame season in Manhattan. However, he stuck around for Jerome Tang and became a national name, averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 assists and helping take Kansas State to the Elite Eight. He set the NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in a win over Michigan State before dropping 30 points in their loss to Florida Atlantic.

Nowell was the top 3-point shooter in the conference, was second in the nation in assists per game, and was a two-time member of the Big 12’s All-Defense team. He won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, had the most steals in the conference each of his two seasons, and was perhaps the biggest factor in Kansas State’s transformation from cellar dweller to Elite Eight squad by the end of his career.