716 United sees dividends competing in out-of-state tournaments

Sanquin Starks and his players have competed on large stages before. Through competing during the school year on their own team, or together in other tournaments, the inner stakes only increase as the year progresses.

But then there are events the group competes in that requires raising the standards for themselves. It’s the tournaments where, no matter how far the car ride is, there’s a motivation to count down the days towards avenging the previous year’s results.

It led Starks and his players to continue reserving the second weekend of April for a trip to Cleveland the last four years. In what was its best results to date, 716 United had its 15-U team finish as the runner-up of the Bronze championship while the 16-U finished in the quarterfinal of the Gold championship in the 19th Dru Joyce Classic held April 12-14 at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland.

Formerly named the King James Shooting Stars Classic and hosted by LeBron James in Akron, the Classic invited over 400 teams from across the country, as well as Ontario. As a result, 716 United faced off against a variety of talent.

“It’s one of the best tournaments that you’ll go to in the nation, honestly,” Starks said. “... You’ll see teams from Nike, Under Armour, Adidas as well as really, really good independent teams. … It’s a great opportunity for kids to play big-time competition, so, as long as I’m able to, that tournament will always be on our schedule each year.”

Starks first heard of the Classic through his uncle, Mike. Nearly a decade ago, the elder Starks and Roddy Gayle Sr. brought a middle-school team that featured future regional stars in Willie Lightfoot, Avion Harris and Roddy Gayle Jr., the latter who transferred to Michigan Monday.

In its first year competing in the Classic, 716 United brought a team with 12-and-under players and didn’t win a game. But with more experience being in the tournament, the players, now on the 16U team, aren’t fazed with competing in large environments anymore.

“We didn’t win a game the first year,” Starks said. “But over the years, our talent level and our program have gotten a lot higher, and we did very well. … When we walk around, teams kind of remember us. Coaches remember us. I think we got the reputation now and they see our names on the jersey, they know it’s a fight.”

With the growth in competing in the Classic each year came a heightened sense of dealing with adversity on the court. After losing by double-digits in their first year together, the current 16U players found ways to win, including a 56-52 win against the 412 Ambassadors from Pittsburgh to advance to the quarterfinal.

Learning to stick together in tight situations was the biggest part of the journey for those who have competed for Starks for multiple years. The mentality switch and having the confidence to move forward has helped the team keep moving forward, including going into this year’s edition.

“It was just that, if we went down, we knew it was going to get better,” Niagara Falls sophomore and 16U player John Strong said. “It was just that, if we went down, we knew it was going to get better. No matter what, we just have faith that no matter how much we were down, no matter what situation we were in, we’ll put in enough work and it was going to get better.”

Along with intending to return to the tournament, Starks also has the future of 716 United in mind. While it could possibly team up with a sneaker circuit down the road, the program based in Niagara Falls intends to remain independent.

Not having the constraints of playing on a sneaker circuit allows 716 United to compete against quality teams without traveling as far. Up ahead for 716 United’s 15 and 16U teams is the MADE Hoops NYC Clash April 27-28 in Queens followed by DMV Live May 17-19 in Springfield, Virginia.

“You can still get a lot of quality basketball as an independent program,” Starks said. “And, right now, that’s where we choose to stay with.”