K-State’s Markquis Nowell preparing for battle of NY against MSU’s Tyson Walker in Sweet 16

Madison Square Garden. The Mecca. The place where every New York City-bred point guard dreams of starring on the stage.

Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell and Michigan State’s Tyson Walker each have come a long way since their battles in the CHSAA. Yet their pilgrimages to the Mecca this week for the NCAA East Regional took similar paths.

Nowell’s third-seeded Wildcats (25-9) face Walker’s seventh-seeded Spartans (21-12) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the first of two Sweet 16 games at the Garden. No. 4 seed Tennessee faces No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic in the nightcap.

“For me as a kid growing up in New York City, you know you dream of moments like this, and to see it actually unfold, and be my reality is it’s a blessing to see,” said Nowell, who raised his profile in Kansas State’s 75-69 second-round win over Kentucky by scoring 27 points and dishing out nine assists and having a bit of a run-in with Kentucky coach John Calipari that ended with Calipari apologizing for calling Nowell a “little kid.”

“It’s going to be fun,” said Nowell, who is playing in the Garden for the first time. “I’m going to look around, take a quick glance at just Madison Square Garden. Just being here and I’m going to just soak it all in for a little and then lock back in.”

It’s a far cry from Nowell’s days at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School playing against Walker’s Christ the King and even playing each other in city parks and playgrounds.

Nowell, who averages 17.1 points and 7.8 assists, spent a year at The Patrick School in New Jersey before accepting an offer to play at mid-Major Little Rock. Walker, who averages 14.8 points and 2.8 assists, left CTK for Northeastern before transferring to East Lansing.

“[Walker’s] a great player. He’s put in a lot of work over the years and gotten better,” Nowell said. “I’m happy to see that we get to play each other in Madison Square Garden in front of all our families and friends that get to see us. And it’s just a blessing.”

For Walker, whose 23 points helped the Spartans knock off No. 2 seed Marquette in the second round, being home for this short moment means a lot.

“I really haven’t been home in five years,” said Walker, who noted he’s glad to be home to spend time with his dog Saint.

It’s that New York guard mentality that both players bring to their programs and this run to the Sweet 16.

“Well, [Walker] is not from the heart of the city, but he does have that swagger about him,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who challenged Walker to get him some New York pizza following the Spartans’ second-round upset of No. 2 seed Marquette. “I think sometimes the New York swagger is a very cocky swagger, and sometimes that’s good. He’s kind of had the happy medium. He’s got enough cockiness to be confident, and yet he’s an unbelievable kid.”

Izzo added that Walker is probably the best two-way guard he’s had since Gary Harris, who is in his ninth season in the NBA, now with the Orlando Magic.

At 5-8, Nowell prides himself on his work ethic — his mantra is “Heart over Height” — which came from grinding days in New York City courts, whether against his father, uncle, and brothers or against the city’s best at Rucker Park, Dyckman Street, and West 4th.

“Just growing up and playing in those environments allowed me not to be afraid of anything because if you could survive and play on those types of courts, I felt like you could survive anywhere,” Nowell said.

One of Nowell’s biggest tests came after last season when Bruce Weber resigned and Kansas State brought in first-time head coach Jerome Tang, a long-time assistant under Scott Drew at Baylor. It became incumbent upon Nowell and East Harlem product Ismael Massoud to buy into Tang’s message. They helped Tang and his staff in recruiting players like forward Keyonte Johnson, whose career nearly ended with a heart scare at Florida a couple of years ago, and then became an All-Big XII first-team selection this season, among others.

Then, there’s the leadership on the court, which will be evident on Thursday.

“Big time players make big-time plays in big time moments,” Tang said. “This is the biggest stage for college basketball. “We tell our guys all the time that hard work pays off, and I’m really thankful that God is allowing [Nowell’s] hard work to pay off right now.”

The hard work and that New York swagger. For Nowell, it starts with his image, including his Twitter handle @MrNewYorkCityy, where his profile says “I run ny.”

“It’s just the confidence that I have in myself,” Nowell said. “I made a promise to myself back 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 [Anthony], Bernard King and all the greats that came out of New York. That just keeps me grounded and keeps me working hard.”