A standout player at Mansfield Senior High School and Morehead State University is the new varsity basketball coach at Senior High.
The appointment of Marquis L. Sykes was announced Tuesday by Superintendent Brian Garverick after several applicants were interviewed by a team of administrators. He succeeds J. T. Reese as the Tygers’ head coach. Sykes’ appointment will be confirmed by the board of education on June 20.
A 1999 Senior High graduate, Sykes is employed as an adolescent treatment counselor at Mansfield UMADOAP (Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Outreach Program).
“Marquis is a Tyger through and through, born and raised in Mansfield,” Garverick said. “He has an unwavering commitment to the basketball program and developing the on-court and off-court character of the young men he coaches.”
In a letter accompanying his application, Sykes said, “The Tyger basketball program has a rich history and reputation as a fierce competitor around the state. I have had the privilege to be a part of the program as both a player and a coach. If given the opportunity to serve as the head coach, it is my hope that I can foster an environment that breeds a winning spirit and winning team.”
Sykes earned All-Ohio basketball honors twice at Senior High and was All-Ohio Valley Conference during his four-year varsity career at Morehead State in Kentucky. He holds the Eagles’ all-time assists record with 606 and posted 865 points and 165 steals in 113 career games. He was inducted into the Morehead State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. A former assistant coach at Morehead State, Sykes has coached for 11 years in Mansfield as junior varsity coach as varsity assistant.
“My focus will be on developing the entire student athlete, young men of great character who are responsible in the community,” Sykes said in an interview after his appointment was announced. “Basketball teaches teamwork and responsibility on and off the court. Besides developing basketball skills, I want to help our young men to work toward college, a career or a trade by expanding their opportunities. Developing the total person is my goal.”
Sykes and his wife, Teana, have three daughters. One graduated in the Senior High Class of 2017; the others are ages 6 and 2. Teana Sykes was a co-chair of Mansfield City Schools’ recent successful levy renewals campaign.
