It was mid-October in McDonough Arena, a few weeks before the start of his senior season and Markel Starks was holding court. Seven months had passed since Florida Gulf Coast had shattered Georgetown’s dream of hanging another banner on the wall of the historic gym, but the feelings of frustration were fresh in the senior captain’s mind.
“Every day when I come in here, I look up and there’s nothing there. For me, as a leader of this team, that’s heartbreaking,” Starks said.
From the first days of practice, the senior made it known that this would be a season to atone for last year’s shortcomings. But for a team that returned four of five starters from the squad that won a Big East regular-season title, the 2013-2014 Georgetown Hoyas began the season with plenty of question marks: Who would replace the production of Otto Porter Jr.? What should be expected from UCLA transfer junior center Joshua Smith? And could Markel Starks transform from Porter’s top lieutenant into a true floor general?
A November game against No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth in the Puerto Rico Tipoff Classic quickly answered the last question. With his team desperately in search of a positive to take from the tournament after a disappointing opening-round loss to Northeastern, Starks exploded for 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in an 84-80 victory. Even more impressive than his point total was the 40 minutes Starks managed to play against the Rams’ high-pressure “havoc” defense.
Head Coach John Thompson III took to calling his senior captain a “machine” for his seemingly endless stamina. “Markel Starks doesn’t get tired,” Thompson declared after a February win over Butler, where the guard once again played a full 40 minutes.
The VCU game was an early intimation of how much the Hoyas would come to rely on Starks as well as his fellow guard, sophomore D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. After it was announced in early January that academic issues would sideline Smith for the remainder of the season, Starks and Smith-Rivera were increasingly called on to carry the Georgetown offense.
In an 80-72 overtime loss to Marquette in mid-January, Starks poured in a career-high 28 points to go along with Smith-Rivera’s 24. Despite being double-teamed for much of the night, the two guards generated over two-thirds of the Georgetown offense in the losing effort.
The defeat came in the middle of a five-game losing streak that dropped the Hoyas from 3-1 to 3-6 in the Big East. Starks never let the losses get to him, however, and eventually led Georgetown with 16 points in a Feb. 1 win over No. 7 Michigan State that revived the Hoyas’ NCAA tournament hopes. The senior was most impressive in the closing minutes of the game where he nailed pull-up jump shots on consecutive possessions to help the Blue and Gray hold on to a dwindling lead.
Perhaps his most memorable performance of the season came in his final appearance at Verizon Center. No. 13 Creighton, led by National Player of the Year Doug McDermott, was in town, and Georgetown badly needed a win to boost its NCAA tournament resume. Once again, Starks rose to the occasion, dropping 17 points and dishing out a career-high 11 assists while turning the ball over only once in a decisive 75-63 victory. It was a masterful performance by the captain, who knelt down to kiss the Georgetown logo at center court during the Senior Night ceremony.
Starks always played with a certain type of bravado. To call it cockiness would be a mistake, but the senior never lacked confidence. Over the course of the season he displayed a matured offensive game, complete with floaters and step-back jump shots. He had an uncanny ability to create opportunities for teammates as well, be it tossing an alley-oop to Aaron Bowen on the fast break or launching a no-look pass with pinpoint accuracy to a flashing Nate Lubick.
Five months after that mid-October day, Starks and the Hoyas found themselves not in Dallas for the Final Four, but back in McDonough for a first-round NIT game against West Virginia. It was not the senior season the captain had hoped for; he was unable to lead his team to the highs of 2007 or 1985, but along the way, Starks did manage to carve out a spot in the hearts of Georgetown fans both young and old. For his skill, toughness and leadership, Markel Starks is The Hoya’s 2013-2014 male athlete of the year.
