Kansas State has been one of the top storylines of this year's edition of March Madness and a big part of that has been the breakout play of star point guard Markquis Nowell. Nowell set a tournament record with 19 assists in Kansas State's win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight. But on the court isn't the only place that Nowell has thrown an assist for Kansas State. In the offseason, Nowell and his brother Marcus played key roles in the recruitment of fellow star Keyontae Johnson committing to the program as per Seth Davis of The Athletic.
“I feel like ‘Quis and his brother did a great job of making me feel welcome, feel like a family,” Johnson said. “They never forced the conversation, always told me to go with my heart.”
Keyontae Johnson also revealed that he watched film of Markquis Nowell to see what their on court fit would be like. The pairing of Johnson and Nowell is a big reason why Kansas State has had tremendous success in March Madness so far. Johnson has been a solid wing compliment to Nowell. Through three tournament games, Johnson has been averaging 17.7 points per game, six rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the field.
It's been an incredible comeback for Johnson who's basketball future was up in the air following a health scare back in 2020 when he was at Florida. Johnson has managed to get back to a high level of basketball and has emerged as a solid NBA prospect.