Wichita man killed at youth game remembered for toughness, competitiveness at PSU

The 31-year-old Wichita man who died after being shot at Stryker Sports Complex on Wednesday night was the “toughest and most competitive” player Ryan Stock ever coached.

Marquell “Marky” Nolen was one of the former Pittsburg State University basketball coach’s favorite players, if not his favorite, he said.

“I don’t say that lightly,” Stock said Thursday after learning of Nolen’s death. “Your players are like your children so it is hard to rank them.”

Nolen died after a shooting at the sports complex in northeast Wichita. The shooting happened during a youth football game, prompting the Capital Sports Institute Executive Board to cancel the rest of the season.

“It is believed that Nolen and the suspect are known to each other and are involved in an ongoing feud,” Wichita police Sgt. Dan Harty said during a Thursday morning news briefing, adding that the shooting was not tied to any of the games.

Police have released photos of a person wanted in connection to the shooting, hoping the public can help identify him.

Nolen played basketball and football at Wichita South High School and went on to continue his football career at Butler Community College, Stock said. With Nolen’s strength and being “six-foot nothing,” people assumed he would play football, Stock said.

But Stock was able to lure Nolen into switching sports and schools, recruiting him to play under him at Seward County Community College. Nolen’s competitive drive and athletic ability made him able to guard everyone but the center.

“There are not a lot of guys on the earth that can do that,” Stock said.

Stock recalled one instance at Seward County when Nolen was stabbed in the stomach while trying to protect teammates at a gas station late one night. Stock went to visit Nolen in intensive care where the athlete stayed for several days.

“Marky ... said don’t worry about him, he would be fine,” Stock said.

Nolen was all-region both years at Seward County, said Stock, who took an assistant coaching job at PSU during Nolen’s second year. Stock then recruited Nolen to play at Pitt State.

Nolen was the 2013 MIAA defensive player of the year his senior season at Pitt State. He had 55 steals that year, which is the seventh-best in Pitt State history, according to the university.

Stock said Nolen dove for loose balls and got into scuffles because of his competitive nature.

“He was so competitive and wanted to win so bad that sometimes it would control him,” Stock said.

Stock said off the court Nolen also had a caring and joking side that drew teammates to him. It also drew Stock to Nolen.

“Very rarely does someone drastically impact your life,” Stock said. “Marky did that for me.”

Stock set up a Facebook fundraiser for Nolen’s children.

This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 12:44 PM.