Markquis Nowell reveals more about his private conversation with Kentucky's John Calipari

In the wake of his postgame comments referring to Markquis Nowell as the “little kid,” Kentucky coach John Calipari reached out to apologize to the Kansas State star. Nowell confirmed that conversation Tuesday and shared more details in his Wednesday press conference.

“I spoke to Coach Cal,” Nowell said. “He DM’d me after the game, said he apologized for his comment, that he wasn’t really thinking straight after the game. But he congratulated me on (having) a great game. We spoke after that and … I congratulated him on his career and what he’s done at Kentucky, and told him I’ll be happy to see him at the Hall of Fame one day. He said, ‘Yeah, you’ll get there too because of your passion and your hard work will get you there.’

“And he wants to be at my press conference when I do get inducted, so it was just a cool exchange. … Shoutout to Coach Cal for reaching out to me. That was really big.”

Calipari acknowledged how well Nowell and Keyontae Johnson played in Kansas State’s victory over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. He had a game-high 27 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-8 from three-point territory, along with eight assists to lead the Wildcats to the victory and seal a Sweet Sixteen appearance. The 5-foot-8 Nowell ranks second on K-State’s roster in scoring with 17.1 points per game, just behind Johnson, who averages 17.5 per game.

But the “little kid” comment from Calipari gained plenty of traction on social media, especially after K-State assistant Jareem Dowling called him out after seeing the video.

“Yo! @UKCoachCalipari U done this for a long time and one of the best on the mic,” Dowling tweeted Sunday. “Never you refer to a great player as little kid! Put some respect on @MrNewYorkCityy you know he could play for you too! Say his name! Like you would @Drake he do right and kill everything! #EMAW.”

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman first reported Calipari spoke with Nowell, who later shared the news himself.

“Just Spoke To Coach Cal We Are Good!!” Nowell tweeted.

Kansas State, a No. 3 seed under first-year coach Jerome Tang, is now gearing up for a Sweet Sixteen showdown with No. 7 seed Michigan State. The Wildcats and Spartans will tip off from Madison Square Garden Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the winner will secure a spot in the Elite Eight.