Ahmad Starks (2010) Signed LOI
- photo: Scott Powers/Sun-Times News Group
Signed LOI – 11/10/09
Ahmad Starks – 5′9″, 155, PG, Chicago, Ill (Whitney Young)
Starks is a good point guard playing system basketball for the best high school team in Illinois… at least that’s what the rankings said at the beginning of the year. We’ll see what his team has to say come state tourney time.
He’s smooth with the dribble, and he keeps it in front of him. He has a great jumper with a quick release, and he can make it from anywhere either one touch or off the bounce. His fundamentals are good enough that he can attack the lane and create opportunities for his teammates, though he gets a little too fancy with his passing at times. He understands the ‘team first’ concept very well, because he could run off the rails and score 30 a night if he wanted to… until he was benched that is. When I watch him play, he reminds me a lot of John Lucas… the older. He has a high IQ both on and off the court.
Craig Robinson is a family friend.
Update Mar. 25: Whitney Young ended an up and down season on a fairly high note when they lost to Simeon in the Illinois 4A Championship on March 20. Sure, Young probably doesn’t make the playoff run without a hobbled Sam Thompson on the floor. But there’s a lot to be said for Starks’ ability as a PG and as a leader during a senior season which faced some tough times.
Young was flying high when Thompson went down with an injury in early January. They ran through a stretch of poor games, and recently ended the season with three straight losses. There were rumors of morale problems, and Young’s post-season goals looked all but shattered.
But Thompson’s return provided just enough space for Starks to put the team on his back and make a late run. He and Anthony Johnson (Illinois) took turns knocking down the dominoes until all they needed was a redemptive win against Waukegan in the state semi’s.
It took everything Starks and Johnson could muster, but a last second Starks fade from the baseline gave Young a win for the ages. Unfortunately, they expended all their energy in that semi, and they almost didn’t show up for the championship against Simeon.
Ahmad showed over the course of his senior season that he could use his considerable skills to lead his team. He had problems beating double teams at half court and sometimes hurrying his shot during their rough patch. But when all was clicking, he was a world-beater.
His handle, his perimeter game and his leadership will be welcome additions to an Oregon State team in dire need of all of those traits. I look forward to watching him lace up for some fun on Ralph Miller Court in the years to come.
