NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - MICHIGAN STATE VS KANSAS STATE

March 22, 2023

Jeremy Tang

Markquis Nowell

Keyontae Johnson

Madison Square Garden

Kansas State Wildcats

Sweet 16 Pregame Media Conference

Q. Markquis, I know you're from New York. For both of you, have you played in the Garden before, and if not, what's it going to be like your first time here? What's the coolest thing about walking around the Garden, and anything unique about playing here that you always dreamed about?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: It's a blessing to be here, man. Got to give all the honor and glory to the man above for giving me and this team this opportunity to play here. But it's going to be fun. I mean, you hear all the great stories about the historic performances of all-time NBA players and the greats.

I'm just looking forward to being in this atmosphere and stepping on that court. I never played here. This is my first time.

KEYONTAE JOHNSON: Like he said, it's definitely a blessing to be here just knowing all the history and the people who played here. I played here my freshman here. We played West Virginia. It's always a good experience coming back and just playing in an NBA arena. It's something that we wanted to do when we was younger.

Q. Markquis, I'm just curious if you might be able to take us through heart over height. And then, secondly, you kind of blew up on social media during the last performance and people may not have known about you but know about you now across the nation. How does that feel?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: It feels good, man, to see that your heart work, your faith and everything is paying off. It's a blessing, man.

Heart over height means -- it's a slogan that I live by. You don't determine somebody's, I guess, destiny because of their height. You determine it by their heart and their passion. That's something that I live by and that I play my game after.

Heart is the biggest thing, and I noticed that as a young kid, and I live by that.

Q. Markquis, Michigan State has done a phenomenal job in the first two games shutting down the star point guards of the opposing teams. How do you view that, and what makes them so difficult in that way defensively? And going maybe more to that heart and passion you were speaking to, do you relish knowing they've shut these guys down, maybe you could be the one to succeed?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: I determine how the game is going to go. I'm not really focused on what they did in the past versus other good point guards. I played in the toughest league in the country, which is the Big 12. You have all types of hall of fame coaches that scouted me and tried to stop me, so I don't think that's going to be an issue.

I feel like this game is going to be Kansas State Wildcats versus Michigan State, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to win a basketball game.

Q. Keyontae, you're an inspiring story after a health scare. What gave you the confidence that you could come back? And I've also seen where you credited the Kansas State medical staff for one of the reasons you chose Kansas State?

KEYONTAE JOHNSON: I just had the right circle around me, just my parents, the athletic trainer at Florida and K-State. When I was going through the situation, we just found the right doctors, the best doctors in the world to figure out my situation. And every doctor's appointment I went to, everything was getting clear.

Just the faith, trust in God, just knowing he had the right path for me, and we just followed his lead and just taking it day by day.

Q. Are there any doctors you want to shout out specifically that were crucial for your rehabilitation --

KEYONTAE JOHNSON: Dr. Ackerman from Mayo Clinic.

Q. Markquis, Jerome Tang hired one year ago. Tomorrow you guys take the floor in the Sweet 16. Looking back on what this last year has meant to the program, everything he's brought in, what comes to your mind when you think about the last year?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: Man, it's been a special year for us, and especially me and Ish who's not up here. Just we had a rough year last year, and we just stood together. We stood grounded when things weren't going our way. And when we realized that Coach Tang was going to be the head coach, we believed in him from day one. We believed in his vision that he had for us two and the program. And to see that we're taking the floor in the Sweet 16, it's just a blessing.

Q. You guys have done a lot of team building stuff off the court as far as talking about emotions and feelings, and a lot of that has carried over to social media. Can you explain why it's important for you guys to be able to connect with the coaching staff beyond a basketball level and how much you've been able to do that this season?

KEYONTAE JOHNSON: I feel like it's big. It's just like Coach Tang, he does a great job of trying to know us more as men than basketball players. It's deeper than basketball to us. I feel like he does a great job of keeping us all together, staying connected. We had a team dinner at his house every Sunday during the off-season and building up to the season.

It just shows what character he has as a person, shows like -- that's really about it. It's just deeper than basketball really, so...

MARKQUIS NOWELL: To piggy-back on what he said, it's deeper than basketball with this program and this coaching staff. They do a very good job of making sure that they know each player on this team. They want to know how you're feeling on a day-to-day basis. They want to know what you're thinking. So it's deeper than basketball being at K-State.

That gives players confidence to trust in their game plan, trust in them, and want to learn from them because they do a good job of making sure that you are well on and off the court. We've got to give credit to the whole coaching staff, to Gene Taylor and everybody behind the scenes that goes into winning.

Q. Markquis, Tyson was here before talking, and he mentioned that he remembered playing you in high school. I was curious if you remembered playing him in high school. And on this stage, in this moment, is there sort of an extra appreciation for being here from you to be going against someone who came up from this area and you're going up against a local rival almost?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: I do remember playing Tyson. He went to Christ the King High School with José Alvarado. I grew up playing in parks with him. I just want to give a big shout out to New York City for breeding tough and gritty guards and just give him a shout-out.

We are rivals, but we grew up playing against each other, and when we step on the court, it's going to be nothing but competition. But now that I'm here, I just want to congratulate him on where he came from and how he got better. And now we're both on this stage. I mean, it's going to be a tough game. It's going to be a blessing, but shout-out to him.

Q. Markquis, you've got the social media handles of Mr. New York City with the tagline #I Run New York. Can you tell the story about why you adopted that?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: Hey, man, you're putting me on the spot. It's just the confidence that I have in myself. I made a promise to myself back when I was in high school that I was going to do anything and everything in my power to be the best player that came out of New York.

So I kind of keep that edge and that kind of just reminds me every day that I wake up that I still have more work to do. Guys like Carmelo, Bernard King and all the greats came out of New York, so that just keeps me grounded and keeps me working hard.

Q. Size has always been a factor with you. Are you surprised it still comes into play with the comments from Coach Cal last weekend?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: I mean, I spoke to Coach Cal. He DM'd me after the game and apologized for his comment that he wasn't really thinking straight after the game. But he congratulated me on a good game, on a great game.

We spoke after that, and he was just like, I congratulated him on his career and what he's done at Kentucky and told him that I'd be happy to see him at the Hall of Fame one day. And he said, yeah, you'll get there, too, because your passion and your hard work will get you there, and he wanted to stand at my press conference when I do get inducted. It was just a cool exchange. It was a cool exchange. Shout out to Coach Cal for reaching out to me. That was really big.

Q. Markquis, could you kind of walk us through the part of New York where you grew up? What was it like growing up here? What was New York City like when you were coming up?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: Growing up in New York, I grew up on 109th and Lexington. I stood in the park just grinding, working on my game. I had a good supporting cast who was willing to work me out at all different times of the hour. And it was just a rough neighborhood, but I didn't let that affect me because I knew that God had a bigger plan.

But I had my big brother, my father, my uncles working me out every day for a moment like this, standing here, being here at Madison Square Garden.

Q. Markquis, you talked about gritty, tough guards. Why? Why does New York produce gritty, tough guards, and are there some that you sort of idolize?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: I mean, just the environment that you're in, that you grow up in. I mean, you have to be tough and hard-nosed or you won't get to play on the toughest basketball courts. That's kind of how I grew up.

I grew up watching Kemba Walker, Isaiah Briscoe, Isaiah Whitehead, and they all did some legendary things in their career. That inspired me to keep working hard and do similar things that they've done.

Q. Markquis, do you feel like you've proven a lot of people wrong? Coming out of high school, you went to Arkansas Little Rock and you've talked about the height thing. Just to even be where you are, do you feel like you've overcome odds?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: Yeah, I feel like I've overcome a lot of odds. Just being at a mid-major school a couple years ago, not knowing what my future may hold, but just sticking that out, grinding, just trusting in my work. But I wouldn't say I proved a lot of people wrong, I proved myself right. I knew that I would be a high major guard if I just worked hard and had the right circle around me, and now that I'm here, it's a blessing.

I mean, I'm speechless because God is good.

Q. Similar story to you, he went to Northeastern and ended up going to Michigan State. Do you see yourself a little like him in terms of the road you've taken?

MARKQUIS NOWELL: I feel like we have similar journeys. He grew up similar background like me, and we just worked hard. We eliminated all distractions, and we put basketball first. That's why you get to see Tyson out of Michigan State, get to see José Alvarado in the NBA.

Not a lot of people get to make it where we come from, so that's why I wanted to shout him out for making it to this stage.

JEREMY TANG: First, I just want to thank the good Lord for this opportunity to be the head coach of Kansas State and with this group of young men and be playing in Madison Square Garden. I mean, it's a dream come true for kids, adults. It doesn't matter if it's your first time as a head coach or like Coach Izzo, his 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament. It's just a blessing to be here and it's hard to do, so extremely thankful.

Q. You've got about a handful of New Yorkers on this team. Is there something about New York players? I know you didn't recruit all of them, some of them you inherited, but is there something about New York players that especially stands out?

JEREMY TANG: Well, their accents. (Laughter).

You know, no, it just worked out. Keys and Ish, they were our chief recruiters, and we were flipping over every rock, watching film, talking to as many people as we could to try to assemble a team. And they did a great job of hosting guys, and I think the others guys felt comfortable knowing that we had some New York guys.

But I think Kansas State has a history of having good players from New York, Curtis Kelly, JO. We've had multiple guys in the past.

I'm thankful for it, I know that.

Q. Coach, you spent a number of years with Paul Mills at Baylor, and you didn't waste time going to social media and giving him praise. What were your takeaways of your time with him, and what makes him -- you know he's going to be successful with the Shockers?

JEREMY TANG: Yeah, well, I absolutely love Paul Mills. He's like a brother to me. So happy for him and his family, for Wendy and the girls. He's going to be incredible because he is passionate about young people and about developing young men.

There's no throttle, like hold-back governor on him in terms of love and what he pours into his guys.

Yeah, he attracts -- he's the one that told me, he said, Tang, 10s hangs with 10s and one hangs with ones, and he's a 10 and he's going to have some 10s around him.

Q. Coach Tang, you've spoken a lot this year about developing your players into good men, good husbands, good fathers, all those different things. Can you explain how you and your staff have been able to teach those lessons through conversations this season?

JEREMY TANG: You know, I heard -- there's a famous pastor, and he said, "every day preach the gospel and sometimes use words." It's not what we say to them, it's what they see us live. Our guys have gotten to come into our homes and have dinner, and they don't just know where the bathrooms are, they know where the knives and the forks are. They've seen us love our wives and raise our children and discipline our children, and they've seen the whole gamut of what it looks like to be a man of character and someone who loves his wife and how they raise their families.

I think more than anything else, my coaching staff is an example of it to them, and hopefully some of it sinks in as they move forward, and I believe it will.

Q. You've got a trio of rotational guys who are from New York. I'm just wondering, is there any sort of psychology, anything to coaching them up? You clearly don't need to motivate them. Do you need to talk them down before going out on this stage?

JEREMY TANG: Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. Every guy -- it's kind of like senior night except maybe on steroids. Your seniors, some of them are going to try too hard and some of them are going to try too hard to not try too hard. You just have to see where it's at after that first media and then figure out what you have to say to each of them. We'll have a good feel for that.

Q. I happened to see you wandering around Times Square last night. I'm wondering, favorite part of wandering around the streets of New York?

JEREMY TANG: Well, I got to be with my wife, so I knew where the credit card was. No, I love Junior's Cheesecake, so we went and got some cheesecake.

Q. I know you mentioned a little bit earlier just how much this moment means, and it's a dream to adults, kids. I know it probably means something a little more to Keyontae, given everything he's gone through. Can you tell us a little bit about that journey and what it's like to watch him on this stage now? And also I know that you were with Jared Butler at Baylor who went through something similar. Can you tell us if something in that experience helped you with that?

JEREMY TANG: Well, first of all, having the experience with Jared and a couple other guys at Baylor gave me the comfort level that I knew that I could help him get into basketball shape. Having dealt with those doctors before, I was very confident when they told me what the situation was and that he was good to play, and if it was their son, they would be on the court, also.

Watching Keyontae just continue to grow as a player and do the spectacular things on the court has been extremely rewarding, but not near as rewarding as watching him be thankful every day for the opportunity. I mean, if you watch him, this dude is an All-American, and he always wears the team shoes. He doesn't have -- like most guys want to have their own thing. He always wears the team shoes, and he doesn't complain. He plays video games with the walk-ons. Everybody in the locker room loves him. He's just a great teammate.

That's the thing to me that's been the most rewarding, to see someone as talented as him be really thankful for this opportunity and then display it with his actions.

Q. I heard an interesting stat today that since 1990, Markquis and Morant are the only two NCAA players to have 40 points and 20 assists by the Sweet 16. I'm curious just what you can say about Markquis at this point.

JEREMY TANG: Like I say, big-time players make big-time plays in big time moments. This is the biggest stage for college basketball. And I'm really thankful that -- we tell our guys all the time that hard work pays off, and I'm really thankful that God is allowing his hard work to pay off right now.

Q. When Tom Izzo found out that he was going to be facing you guys, he sort of compared his journey at Michigan State to yours in a way, learning under a very storied coach as he did with Jed Heathcote. I'm wondering how much that experience with Scott Drew got you to where you are today and just the relation between the two, I guess, maybe with Izzo, as well.

JEREMY TANG: Thank you for sharing that story. I didn't know. Coach Izzo told me out in front of the building that he just told a whole bunch of lies about me.

But Tom Izzo, man, is just a class act, and I've followed him for a long time. Add the fact as an assistant he knew my name, it blew me away. Just to watch what he's done, how he's handled his program, loved his players, had tremendous success on and off the court, how he handled the tragedy at Michigan State this year, everybody can learn from that.

I was blessed to work with Scott, and he did a great job of helping prepare me for this. Never treated me as an assistant, always told me to act like a head coach, treat the program like it was mine. I believe that when you're with guys like Jud Heathcote and Scott Drew, that those Hall of Fame help prepare you. You learn so much from them so that you are ready for this.

I'm just thankful. I told Coach Izzo, I wish it was me and him playing to see who goes to the Elite 8, but it's going to be our teams. This is about those guys out there on the floor. I wouldn't want to shoot free throws against him, though, because I know he's really good at that.

Q. What's been the thing that's impressed you the most watching film of Michigan State coming into Thursday?

JEREMY TANG: Well, it's not the first time I've gone against a Michigan State team. And one of the things that's super impressive is how quickly they get the ball out of the net and up the floor after the other team scores. So like transition -- we call it the book ends. The moment they touch the ball, then the end of it and how great they rebound.

So those two things we have to be prepared for, stopping them in transition, getting back, building a wall, making a play in the half court. And then at the end when they take a shot, being able to corral the ball, limit their second-chance opportunities. And then they just play with Coach Izzo's toughness, that gritty, toughness, fights you for every inch on the court, on every dribble and every pass.

They've got really good players that do those things. So that makes it really hard.

Q. I'm curious when you were putting this team together, what were some of the things you learned, the dos and don'ts and best practices of the transfer portal in what amounts to a lot of very brief recruitments as you try and put guys together in a short span?

JEREMY TANG: Well, I'm not going to go into detail on that because then it gives the formula away to other people, and we all have to live in the portal. But you know, for me, the number one thing I looked for was winners and guys who had won in high school and college. Because winners know it takes a certain level of sacrifice in order to win, so for me that was the most important thing.

Q. In this day and age when there's constant player movement, what was the impact of Markquis's decision to stay when you came on board?

JEREMY TANG: Huge. Huge. The really cool thing about it is that -- and I found this out after, probably a month or two after I got the job -- that Markquis had actually texted Gene Taylor, our athletic director, during the search, and told him -- given him my name, like hey, I'm going to help that -- Markquis was willing to stay to help the program win. But he had told him, hey, look at Jerome Tang.

So when I got there, and I didn't know this, in my very first meeting with the team, he had unbelievable eye contact, and he was nodding his head like in agreement with the things I was saying. I just felt there was a heart connection there, and from the moment after that meeting on, he's been all on board.

Yeah, we're not here without Markquis Nowell staying.

Q. Coach Tang, how are you trying to emulate the Baylor program, and how are you trying to pave your own way from the Baylor program?

JEREMY TANG: Man, that is a terrific question. Well, Scott really exemplified what it is to be a servant leader. And so following in that mold of leadership, that I'm here to serve these guys, our staff, our community, and so being a servant leader is something that I want to embrace.

I want our guys to have incredible experiences that have nothing to do with winning and losing. For them to understand that there's a great life for them after the ball stops bouncing, but they've got to be great men and great husbands and great fathers, and the characteristics that you have to have in order to do those things.

Paving my own way, I don't know. I hadn't really thought about that. I want the people who work for me to -- with me. Let me change that. The people who work with me to feel like it's their program, and I want them to take ownership of the areas that I give them and run with it, and I want our players to be able to feel like they can be themselves.