AJ Ogilvy
February 2, 2021
Markel Starks
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 21/02/91
- Place of Birth: Accokeek, Maryland (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 79
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Georgetown (2010–2014)
- AGE AT DEBUT: 0
- NBL History: Cairns 2016
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Markel Starks was born in Accokeek, Maryland (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Markel Starks made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans on 30/12/1899. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After becoming the first regional team since Geelong in 1984 to finish first with a 21-7 record before losing the Grand Final series 2-0 to New Zealand, Cairns returned under coach Aaron Fearne for the 2015/16 season. Scottie Wilbekin (to Philadelphia), Mitchell Young (to Townsville), Corey Maynard (to Townsville) and training player Nathan Sobey (to Adelaide) departed, while Markel Starks (via Ferentino), Mark Worthington (via Melbourne) and Damon Heuir (via Cairns development player) were added. Wilbekin had signed a two-year deal with Cairns the previous year but exercised his NBA out clause after receiving a four-year offer from Philadelphia, leaving the Taipans needing to replace the point guard who had led them in scoring and assists during their Grand Final season.
The new import made an immediate impression during the preseason, averaging 13.7 points as Cairns went 3-0 at the NBL Blitz and sharing the Ray Borner Medal as tournament MVP.
Cairns opened the season against Illawarra at the Cairns Convention Centre on October 8, where he made his NBL debut and finished with 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists in 30 minutes as the Taipans defeated the Hawks 79-74, with Cameron Gliddon (19 points and 4 assists) and Stephen Weigh (15 points) leading Cairns, while Kirk Penney (12 points) was Illawarra’s equal-leading scorer.
Starks (12.5 points across 26 games) started 23 of his 26 appearances and finished as Cairns’ second-leading scorer after being recruited to replace Wilbekin as the Taipans’ starting point guard.
After Cairns fell to 2-4 and his import position became the subject of conjecture, Starks (27 points) responded against Adelaide on October 31, making 10-of-18 shots and four of six three-pointers before hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining as Cairns defeated the 36ers 104-101. Craig (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks) provided support, while Daniel Johnson (29 points and 14 rebounds) led Adelaide as the victory improved the Taipans to 3-4.
Another of his best games came at Perth Arena on November 22, where Starks (19 points and 5 assists) helped Cairns take the Wildcats to the final possession. His corner three-pointer missed with five seconds remaining before Burston (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals) tipped the ball in to tie the game, but Casey Prather (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) drew a foul at the other end and made the winning free throw as Perth escaped with a 91-90 victory.
Starks’ best game of the season came against Illawarra at the Cairns Convention Centre on December 11, where he made 12-of-22 shots and all seven of his free throws to finish with 33 points and 6 rebounds as Cairns defeated the Hawks 103-101 in double overtime. Loughton (17 points and 12 rebounds) provided support, while Kevin Lisch (30 points and 5 assists) led Illawarra as the victory moved the Taipans to 6-9.
Six days later Starks (4 points) suffered a left hamstring injury after playing only 6:22 against Perth and did not return as the Wildcats defeated Cairns 73-70, with Nathan Jawai (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks) leading Perth. The injury ruled him out against New Zealand on December 31 and Sydney on January 2, the only two games he missed during the season. He returned to the rotation and came from the bench in his first three appearances back before eventually returning to the starting lineup, with his scoring dropping from 14.5 points across his first 15 appearances to 9.7 points over his final 11.
Cairns recovered to reach 9-11 early in January before falling to 9-13, then won three of its next four games to improve to 12-14 with two games remaining. Captain Gliddon (13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds across 28 games) led the Taipans in scoring and won the club MVP award, Craig (11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds across 28 games) received the Members’ Choice MVP, Worthington (11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games) was named Best Defensive Player and also reached 300 NBL games during the season, while Bruce (5.9 points across 28 games) received both the Coaches Award and Players’ Player award. Cairns struggled away from home, winning only once on the road, and lost both games after reaching 12-14.
Starks (4 points) played 18 minutes in Cairns’ final game against Townsville on February 11 as the Crocodiles defeated the Taipans 85-68, with Gliddon (16 points) leading Cairns while Omar Samhan (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Townsville. The loss left Cairns sixth with a 12-16 record and outside the playoffs.
Markel Starks played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 26 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 0 | Cairns | 12-16 (6) | 26 | 639 | 324 | 56 | 61 | 15 | 41 | 10 | 0 | 36 | 49 | 135 | 299 | 45% | 17 | 76 | 22% | 37 | 44 | 84% | 51% | 48% | 33 | Totals | 26 | 639 | 324 | 56 | 61 | 15 | 41 | 10 | 0 | 36 | 49 | 135 | 299 | 45.2% | 17 | 76 | 22.4% | 37 | 44 | 84.1% | 33 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 0 | Cairns | 12-16 (6) | 26 | 24.6 | 12.5 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 11.5 | 45% | 0.7 | 2.9 | 22% | 1.4 | 1.7 | 84% | 51% | 48% | 33 | Total | 26 | 24.6 | 12.5 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 45.2% | 22.4% | 84.1% | 33 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 33 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Italy - FMC Ferentino (2014–2015), Vanoli Cremona (2016) | Germany - Fraport Skyliners (2016–2017) | Greece - Koroivos Amaliadas (2016–2017), Panionios (2025–2026) | Turkey - Yalova Group Belediye Spor (2017–2018), Fenerbahçe Beko (2022), Darüşşafaka (2022–2023), Socar Petkimspor (2023–2024), ONVO Büyükçekmece (2024–2025), Manisa Basket (2026) | Poland - Zastal Zielona Góra (2018–2019) | Russia - Avtodor Saratov (2019–2021) | Bosnia and Herzegovina - Igokea (2021–2022) | Andorra - MoraBanc Andorra (2023–2024)
Starks began his overseas professional career by signing with FMC Ferentino in Italy’s Serie A2 on July 30, 2014, and he averaged 14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 34 games during the 2014–15 season.
He returned to Italy during the 2015–16 season, signing with Vanoli Cremona on February 25, 2016, and he appeared in 13 games in Lega Basket Serie A with averages of 8.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.4 minutes per game.
On September 9, 2016, he joined the Fraport Skyliners in Germany after a four-week tryout, signing through the end of the Basketball Bundesliga season with an option for 2017–18, and he went on to appear in four league games as well as the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Later in 2016–17, he played in Greece with Koroivos Amaliadas in the Greek Basket League, suiting up for 14 games and producing 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
He then moved to Turkey’s Turkish Basketball First League with Yalova Group Belediye Spor, and in 30 games in 2017–18 he averaged 22.2 points and 7.3 assists per game while leading the league in assists, including a season-high 40 points against Afyonkarahisar Belediye and a 16-assist performance against Istanbul Technical University.
In 2018–19, Starks played in Poland with Zastal Zielona Góra, averaging 13.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game across 36 league appearances, while also contributing in the VTB United League at 11.5 points and 4.8 assists per game over 24 games that same season.
He signed with Avtodor Saratov in August 2019 and re-signed in June 2020, and across two seasons in the VTB United League he posted 14.4 points and 5.9 assists per game in 2019–20, followed by 11.3 points and 3.8 assists per game in 2020–21.
Starks joined Igokea in June 2021 and delivered 10.2 points and 5.6 assists per game in 14 ABA League games, and 12.7 points with 6.8 assists per game across nine Basketball Champions League games, including a game-MVP performance against SC Derby (20 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds) and a Round 8 outing featuring four steals.
That form earned him a move to Fenerbahçe Beko in late January 2022, where he appeared in three EuroLeague games during the short stint.
For 2022–23, he signed with Darüşşafaka and averaged 12.2 points and 3.9 assists per game in 28 contests in Turkey’s Turkish Basketball Super League, alongside 10.9 points and 4.5 assists per game in 15 Basketball Champions League games.
In July 2023, Starks joined MoraBanc Andorra in Spain’s Liga ACB, and he later logged a documented 17-point, five-assist performance against Monbus Obradoiro during the 2023–24 season.
He moved back to Turkey in late December 2023 with Socar Petkimspor, producing 11.3 points and 3.9 assists per game across 15 Turkish Super League appearances in 2023–24.
Ahead of 2024–25, Starks signed with ONVO Büyükçekmece, and he averaged 14.2 points and 5.7 assists per game in 28 Turkish Super League games.
In June 2025, Panionios announced his signing, and in 2025–26 he produced 9.5 points and 5.2 assists per game in the Greek league while also playing in the EuroCup, before switching to Manisa Basket in late January 2026.
COLLEGE
As a junior at Georgetown Prep in 2008–09, Markel Starks averaged 22 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds per game as he earned first-team All-Met, All-Montgomery County and All-IAC honours.
As a senior in 2009–10, he averaged 25 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds per game as he led Prep to a 18–7 record, then earned first-team All-Met honours, was named to the All-Decade Team in Montgomery County (Md.), and was named both the county Player of the Year and the IAC Player of the Year.
Starks played four NCAA seasons at Georgetown Hoyas from 2010–11 to 2013–14, appearing in 126 games and making 89 starts while finishing his college career with 1,246 points, 300 assists, 201 rebounds, 165 made three-pointers, and 205 made free throws.
He began his career as a freshman in 2010–11, playing 30 games off the bench and averaging 1.5 points per game, with his early season highs including two separate six-point games against Syracuse and a career-high 27 minutes played in the conference tournament against Connecticut.
Starks moved into a major role as a sophomore in 2011–12, starting 25 of 31 games and averaging 7.1 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field, and he produced a then career-high 20 points at Louisville while going 4-for-4 from three.
His breakout came as a junior in 2012–13, when he started 31 of 32 games and averaged 12.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game while hitting 41.7 percent from three, earning third-team All-Big East Conference recognition and later being named to the 2013 Big East Championship All-Tournament Team.
That 2012–13 season also included Georgetown’s NCAA tournament loss to Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, where Starks scored 23 points in the 15-over-2 upset that ended the Hoyas’ run in the Round of 64.
As a senior in 2013–14, Starks played 33 games and started every one, increasing his production to 17.3 points and 4.1 assists per game while posting a career-best 87.0 percent at the free-throw line, and he opened Big East play that year with a 21-point performance against DePaul.
His senior season honours included First Team All-Big East in a vote of league coaches and Second Team All-District 5 from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, giving him two major postseason awards as he closed out his Georgetown career.
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