Running the Floor and Staying Focused

By Chris Adams, Director of Communications and Marketing

A Basketball Co-Captain Reflects on His Cardigan Experience

Amidst the sounds of squeaking sneakers and boisterous cheers, one Cougar learned how to lead, inspired by an older teammate who had mentored him the year before.

Markus Jones ’25 is a quiet kid with an affable, comfortable smile that likes the camera, which is how I first learned who he was. I bumped into his father, Charles, at a JV football game in the fall of 2023; he was doing the same thing I was—taking pictures.

“Number seven,” his dad answered to my standard question when I meet new parents at a game. I learned that those first unsure plays on Marrion Field were Markus’ first as a football player. “It will be good for him,” Charles said, almost as if he were trying to reassure himself. A year later, Markus would be a regular on a varsity football squad that won five games and only lost one. He was buying into what we teach Cardigan boys—watch, learn, work hard, and be a good teammate. Chosen to be a co-captain of the basketball team, Markus would need to rely on that experience during his second season on the Cardigan varsity. His first had offered plenty of highlights, but had ended with a disappointing loss in the Future Stars Tournament at Suffield Academy. “Losing that one smacked us in the face a little bit,” Markus remembers before adding, “but it was probably the best thing that could have happened to us.”
 

Maturity. You need a lot of maturity. Not just in the classroom or on the court—you need it everywhere in life. You’re supposed to grow up; you need to grow up. You’re not supposed to stay the same. Markus Jones ’25

The 2025 Cougars had a core group of returning players, a deep bench, and a relentless full-court press. The team weathered some adversity, and when it came time to return to the Future Stars Tournament, the Cougars took care of business and brought the trophy home to Cardigan. At the center of it all was senior co-captain Markus, whose heart, hustle, and leadership helped shape the team’s identity.

A few days before his graduation from Cardigan—during which he received the Faculty Prize—I sat down with Markus to talk about basketball, his Cardigan experience, and what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Chris Adams: Did you have any challenges in your first year?

Marcus Jones: I thought I would be homesick because I’m really close with my parents. I’m an only child, so I don’t have a brother or a sister who I can talk to. But Cardigan made me feel like I had parents here. My advisor, Ms. Fedele, is really like a mom to me. She’s very helpful. Mr. Harvey is like an older brother and gave me a lot of advice. The faculty care for you a lot. I felt that as soon as I got here.

CA: You also played football and tennis at Cardigan. What did you learn playing other sports?

MJ: I had played tennis before because my mom is a tennis player. I wasn’t that good. In my eighth-grade year, I made thirds, which I felt was good for me at the time. The coaches, Ms. Garber and Mr. Fassina, really helped me a lot. I was a bit of a hot head, so I could get down on myself a lot—sometimes I still do—but I can maintain it more. They helped me understand how to calm myself down.

I had never played tackle football before. On the first day of tryouts, one of the coaches got on me about tackling technique, and it was a shock. At my old school, the coaches didn’t push me. So when I got to Cardigan, and the coaches were like “you need to learn to do this or you’re not going to play much,” it pushed me a little bit.

CA: When did you realize that the basketball team was going to be pretty good?

MJ: During the first game of my eighth-grade year against Lawrence Boys Club. We came out sluggish, but as soon as we got into a rhythm, we just flowed through the second half. That’s when I thought, okay, we can be good if we just work together.

CA: Was there a particular memory from that first season that is important to you?

MJ: That’s a good question. Just being teammates with Mikey [Mitchell ’24, Berkshire School] and learning from him—that’s a memory that I’ll always have because he was a mentor and taught me a lot of things.

CA: How did your relationship with your teammates grow over your two seasons?

MJ: We had a core group of eighth graders—Lyric ’25 and London ’25 Raysor, Ethan Okafor ’25, Tigger Tanglertsumphun ’25, Colton Boorda ’25, and me—that all liked to stick together and talk with each other off the court, and then we were all leaders on the team as ninth graders this year.

CA: What did you learn about yourself through your Cardigan experience?

MJ: Maturity. You need a lot of maturity. Not just in the classroom or on the court—you need it everywhere in life. You’re supposed to grow up; you need to grow up. You’re not supposed to stay the same. A Cardigan boy is someone who comes here as a little kid, and they work on a few things. Ninth grade year, that’s the year when you’re supposed to make everything work. That’s the growth.

CA: What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself?

MJ: Learn how to be prepared. Be ready and stay focused on what you have to do. It will bite you in the rear if you don’t.

CA: How has Cardigan prepared you for what’s next?

MJ: Be your authentic self. Don’t try to be someone who tries to be cool or tries to impress other people for laughs. Work hard, do what you have to do, stay focused, and have fun when you can.

CA: What else would you like to share about your time at Cardigan?

MJ: I want to shout out to my mom and my dad because without them, none of this would be possible. I want to thank Coach Kelleher for two great years. He really helped me grow as a young man. And my teammates—we’ve grown so much since we’ve been here, especially the two-year boys. These were years I’ll never forget.

Markus plans to attend Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, where he will play alongside former Cardigan School Leader Preston Merrick ’22.

This article was originally published in the summer 2025 issue of the Cardigan Chronicle