UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Nowell and Trojans Set Sights on 2020-21

Sitting near the back of the bus with his teammates on the morning of March 12, Markquis Nowell had an idea what was coming.

Less than 45 minutes from the Jack Stephens Center as the Little Rock team bus neared Pine Bluff, news on the TV and across social media of basketball conference tournaments getting canceled were coming fast and furious.

Big Ten. Conference USA. Big XII. SEC. ACC. One by one the writing on the wall was becoming more and more obvious.

A few minutes later, the Trojan team bus pulled off the highway and waited on a side road, awaiting word on what its next steps should be. About five minutes later, when the phone call came from the Sun Belt and the Trojan bus began turning around to return to Little Rock, Nowell knew.

“That was it,” recalled Nowell. “Just like that, our season was done.”

The turn around in Pine Bluff brought to a halt one of the best turnaround stories in NCAA basketball in 2019-20. Coming off a 10-21 season in 2018-19, Little Rock was all but left for dead before the season began, picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt Conference. 

The script was flipped by the Trojans this past year, going 21-10 and 15-5 in Sun Belt play, winning the league’s regular season title by a full two games. Watching the Trojans on the court, it became apparent there was something different on this year’s squad – an attribute Nowell wasted no time in identifying.

“Chemistry,” Nowell responded quickly. “From the end of last year through the summer, all of the guys gelled. We grew a bond with each other and I think that led to a lot of the success we had on the court. Everyone bought in. We talked a lot about buying in to what coach (Walker) was teaching and showing, and it worked.”

Since the July and August workouts in Little Rock, Nowell and his teammates heard the same goal over and over from head coach Darrell Walker – to be an NCAA tournament team. It was the basis of every drill, every film session, every lift – everything the team did was designed to chase after that seemingly elusive dream.

As the season began, Little Rock knew what it had on its roster. And the Trojans also had another element working in its favor – the element of surprise. When a team has finished no higher than 11th in each of the past two seasons, not a lot is expected of it. Little Rock used that advantage to win 12 of its first 14 games in Sun Belt play, and all of a sudden, the rest of the league had taken notice.

The fast start propelled Little Rock to the regular season championship, clinching the league title at home in a 91-69 thrashing of Louisiana on February 29. The regular season success for the Trojans earned them an 11-day break between the regular season finale at Georgia State and the semifinals of the conference tournament in New Orleans. 

While the break was welcomed and allowed the Trojans time to regroup and heal, Nowell admits the team was getting antsy. Sitting just two games away from the Big Dance, Nowell and the Trojans kept focused on their ultimate goal, even as an unexpected challenge continued to catch everyone’s attention.

“Once we got on the bus, I was really focused on the two games in New Orleans,” said Nowell. “I was pretty locked in and I honestly wasn’t thinking a lot about the virus or anything like that. I just wanted to win those two games. It was tough (to have to turn around), but in the long run, I think it was the best decision.”

An impromptu team meeting in the Trojan locker room served as what would be the final time this championship team would all be together in one place. As news of the NCAA tournament cancellation became a reality, Nowell decided back home was where he needed to be to assist his family.

But returning home posed another significant challenge as the All-American point guard headed to the New York area – the epicenter of the coronavirus in the United States.

“Everybody is just staying inside and the streets are pretty much cleared,” Nowell said. “This is the first time I can ever remember the city being asleep like this before. Being in the hotbed of the coronavirus, it’s a scary time. Everyone is staying home and trying to do whatever they can to avoid it.”

And to add another challenge to a stressful situation, basketball – the thing Nowell has turned to for an escape since he was a boy – isn’t an option right now.

“Unfortunately, all the parks are shut down and they took down all the hoops around New York and New Jersey, so I haven’t been able to shoot for a while,” said Nowell. “I’ve tried to focus on my conditioning, my dribbling skills, doing some running, but that’s about it. I haven’t been able to do a lot of things I normally do in the offseason.”

For now, basketball is taking a back seat to both his academics and his family. Trying to finish up his semester work online at home has been a challenge, Nowell admits, but he is approaching it the same way he tackles film study during the season.

“Its something you need to have discipline for and make time for. With basketball being done, that was a big focus from the coaching staff to make sure our academics were in order.”

And he has been spending a lot of time with family, bonding through movies, video games and game nights and trying to make the most of this uncertain time. Like many of us, this experience has been a wake-up call for Nowell as he has found a new-found appreciation.

Nowell doesn’t know when he’ll be able to return to Little Rock and become reunited with his teammates again. But in the meantime, he remains in close contact with his second family through group chats and phone calls, and mentioned there is a common sentiment among the entire Trojan roster.

They have some unfinished business.

“Each of us has the same exact goal, and I think that’s key for this team,” Nowell said. “We each got to feel what it was like to be champions, and we want that again. With nearly all the guys coming back, and getting some players back who didn’t play much this year, we should be a dominant team. We’re going to be a veteran team that feels we still have a lot to prove, and in our minds, we have some unfinished business left to do.”

Echoing the sentiments of Nowell and the rest of the Trojan basketball program, Unfinished Business is the theme for both the Little Rock men’s and women’s basketball programs as the 2020-21 season draws near. The Trojan men will be looking to finish what it started in 2019-20, while the Trojan women will be seeking to return to top of the Sun Belt standings after a disappointing campaign.

Little Rock’s season ticket campaign for the 2020-21 season will focus on this Unfinished Business mentality. Trojan fans are now welcome to renew their season tickets and affordable price points continue to be available for season tickets at the Jack Stephens Center. Season ticket packages include all men’s and women’s home games. University of Arkansas Little Rock employees will receive a 30 percent discount on selected sections and university employees have the option of payroll deduction.

Trojan fans also have the opportunity this year to begin paying for their season tickets early, on a three or six month payment plan. To renew your tickets for the upcoming season, please contact the Trojan Ticket Office at 501-565-8257. 

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