It takes a village to return from an almost career-shattering injury. Quinnipiac men’s basketball guard Savion Lewis suffered just that last year after a torn Achilles tendon, ending his redshirt junior season.

But throughout his road to recovery, his village grew by one.

Chris Markos, a junior film, television and media arts major, entered Lewis’ life through their religious connections and is helping the baller on his rehabilitation.

“Walk by Faith,” Markos’ latest project, is a full-length documentary showcasing the behind-the-scenes of Lewis’ offseason recovery and how his religion guided him through it all.

“It’s been amazing,” said Lewis, a criminal justice major. “Chris and I, we both connected on Instagram…one thing in common was that we’re both very religious.”

Markos, who works with Quinnipiac Athletics, has become a wizard with a camera. You can’t attend a single men’s basketball game in Hamden without spotting him, often with a beanie, on the sidelines. Through his work with both Quinnipiac Athletics and his personal brand, Markos has wowed thousands online with his editing and filming skills.

With the flawless cuts and professional-style mixtapes, some might think Markos has been filming sports his whole life. Actually, Markos got his start with sports photography after a seemingly random thought popped into the former soccer player’s head.

“I was playing varsity soccer at my high school … I used to wonder if there was someone who would film me playing and mix it with music and there was literally nobody in the area,” Markos wrote. “Eventually, I filmed the lacrosse team with no real experience and it changed my life.”

After Lewis suffered his injury and was sitting on the sidelines with what seemed like nowhere to go, Markos stepped in and they instantly hit it off. So, what drew the videographer to the player?

“I wanted to work with Savion because I knew what kind of person he was,” Markos wrote. “(I) heard about his injury … reached out to him with the (Walk by Faith) idea. I had a different vision, yet similar and we were both down & extremely motivated.”

But it takes two to tango and Lewis, who was coming off of the biggest injury of his collegiate career, had to ease into the process.

“Chris, seeing that I was coming back from my injury, hit me up,” Lewis said. “(He’s) real good with the videos … He’s just been following me all summer and recording my recovery.”

“My religion to me is everything,” Markos wrote. “I am Greek Orthodox and was raised going to church. I firmly believe that God is the reason behind everything from personal issues to success, I would be nowhere without God.”

The documentary, which will be released in parts on Markos’ social media starting Dec. 9, will highlight in-depth details of Lewis’ injury and how he spent the summer focusing on two things — getting back on the court and his faith. Markos spent countless hours with the basketball star, but because of their religious connection, it was not an uncomfortable interaction.

“(I felt uncomfortable) a little bit, but I realized, when you’re doing this for God, you can’t get uncomfortable,” Lewis said. “I realized I have an impact on a lot of people, Chris has an impact on a lot of people. We realized we could come together … and impact the world positively.”

The positivity that Markos brings to his work was a big reason why he was brought onto the Quinnipiac Athletics production team. A mutual friend reached out to Markos, asking if he was interested in joining. After speaking with Nick Solari, assistant director of athletic communications, he was invited to help with the footage side of the basketball program as a federal work-study student.

“Chris is a student who has done a lot of video content with us in the past,” Solari said. “He approached both Savion and I with the idea … Having worked with Chris before, I had no concerns, and he’s done a great job.”

That sentiment shared by his boss is also shared with his subject, and now close friend, Lewis.

“He’s a ball of light, man. That’s my guy,” Lewis said. “He always brings the energy. You can’t not be around Chris.”

Throughout the early part of the men’s basketball season, Markos has gone from a newcomer with a camera to one of the building blocks that hold the team together. Consistent comments on his Instagram posts and hugs from the players on the roster show how much Markos has been accepted by the program.

“He’s a really great person, so he’s got great people skills,” Solari said. “He’s really ambitious … he’s a complete package, really skilled with his filming and editing, which is evident in his piece with Savion.”

Regardless of the journey that brought Markos and Lewis together, they have been connected with their faith and certainly walking with it.

“I believe that God brought me and Savion here to work and share with the world what we got,” Markos said.