Jerome Tang Compares Markquis Nowell to Patrick Mahomes
This has surely been said before, but any time you’re in the same conversation with Kansas City Chiefs two-time Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes, you’re in mighty good company. That’s exactly where Kansas State Wildcats star Markquis Nowell is after an NCAA Tournament-record-setting 19-assist performance in an 98-98 victory over Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
“What allows him to be such a great passer, it’s his confidence,” raved head coach Jerome Tang about his point guard in advance of his team’s Elite Eight matchup with No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic. “He has great vision, but he also has this confidence. Kind of like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, they think they can like thread that ball through anywhere. And he really feels like he can get it there, so he has this great precision, this great confidence and vision that he was blessed with.”
“The smile on my face, we talk about winning in interviews all the time,” Tang continued. “And to talk about your why, whether it’s your family, your faith, whatever it is, talk about your why, then it’s about your teammates. And then finally, then talk about yourself or how you were able to contribute to what happened in that game.
“He went in order. He talked about his why, and then he talked about his teammates, and it’s just really cool to see guys grow and develop in that aspect.”
Nowell, of course, is an especially easy guy to root for. That’s definitely the case now, given his 5-foot-8, 180-pound stature that Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari mocked in calling him a ‘little kid,’ ultimately warranting an apology.
And it’s definitely the case, given what everyone saw on the big stage at Madison Square Garden Tuesday evening. Nowell exploded for that record-setting assist number while pouring in 20 points as well and gutting out an ankle injury in the process.
