Doing Duluth: A leisurely Saturday at Starks Academy

Most people go “up North” at this time of year to see the fall colors. I spent my Saturday in Duluth looking at the future of basketball in the Northland. The Zenith City was positively buzzing on a windy fall day by the shores of Lake Superior. We stopped at Canal Park for a look-see, but it was overrun with tourists wearing flannel. We then ventured to the Lincoln Park neighborhood, a formerly run-down commercial district that is rapidly being transformed into Hipster central thanks to places like OMC Smokehouse and Bent Paddle Brewing. The lineup at the 190 Coffee and Tea shop was so long that we decided to move on from there, too. Later we ventured out for lunch up the hill near the University of Minnesota-Duluth, but it was tough to find a seat in a restaurant as the Bulldog faithful had overrun the neighborhood on their way to the Homecoming football game. This is a happening place!   Later in the afternoon, however, away from the maddening crowds, down a winding little road in the upper reaches of the city, we found a hidden gem of a gym where more than a dozen talented youngsters from Duluth and beyond were engaged in a training session with Dyami Starks of Starks Academy. Dyami was a legendary player in these parts. After launching his high school career at Patrick Henry in Minneapolis, Starks returned home to Duluth East. He scored more than 2,500 career points and was a finalist for Mr. Basketball honors in 2010.   Starks went on to a standout Division 1 career on the East Coast before playing professional basketball in Europe and Australia. Nowadays he is a full-time basketball trainer and coach, both at the Academy and as an assistant to Jason Schmitz at the College of St. Scholastica. Dyami is carrying on the legacy of his dad Will, a man who was the heart and soul of basketball in Duluth until his untimely death in 2015 at the age of 49. The Academy operates under the umbrella of the Northland Youth Basketball Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to teaching life skills through athletics. Dyami's goal is to positively impact the lives of kids while reviving basketball in the Northland one workout session at a time.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/Starks-Elite.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-286309" width="512" height="384" /><figcaption>Dyami Starks and company</figcaption></figure>   Starks Academy has a ton of talent in the organization as well as a cooperative agreement with Dre Jefferson and the Minnesota Suns that enables them to play the Blue Star circuit. Starks Elite, as the AAU teams are known, did some great stuff this summer, drawing attention for their talented youngsters, up-tempo style of basketball, and a commitment to teaching the details that help players develop and advance. The club's star attraction is Minnesota's premier 7th grader, [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'], a generational talent who has been making noise at events across the country. Chloe wasn't in attendance on Saturday because she was at the University of Minnesota hanging out with coach Lindsay Whalen and some other precocious recruits. There were plenty of other youngsters to watch, though. Here's who caught our eye.   The Wily Veterans   There were 14 players on hand at the workout, led by Bemidji State commits [player_tooltip player_id='186112' first='Ashlynne' last='Guenther'] of Duluth East and Tieryn Plasch of Wisconsin. Guenther is a big guard with a ton of tools who is now ranked #34 in Minnesota's Class of 2023. Plasch is the #35-rated prospect in Wisconsin's senior class. As you'd expect they set the tone.   Also on hand was Suns veteran [player_tooltip player_id='302264' first='Hannah' last='Compton'], a Top 75 prospect who will announcement her college commitment in the near future. The 2023 guard has had an outstanding career at Legacy Christian Academy in the Twin Cities where she averaged 23 points per game, including a season-high 45 at Eagle Ridge Academy. Compton has transferred this fall to Crosby-Ironton where she'll play with 2026 co-#1 [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'], who also trains with Starks. Compton has size, strength and skill, and the substantial effort she has put in on and off the court has positioned her for a stellar senior year.   The other senior on hand was lengthy guard Hope Carlson of Proctor, who put together a solid summer with Starks. She is a double-digit scorer who offers a little bit of everything. Hope and her younger sister Chloe will be called upon to carry their high school team this winter. Hope is coming off an injury layoff but she looked good on Saturday considering it was her first time on the floor since June.   A Talented Trio   Starks Academy has already seen some outstanding prospects go through its doors in the past couple of years, from Miss Basketball finalist and University of Utah standout Gianna Kneepkens to elite 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich']. Next up are three excellent prospects from the Class of 2026. We're going to let the cat out of the bag a little here by telling you that three Starks 9th graders are about to be announced as members of the Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50, the first ranking of the Class of 2026. They are young and gifted and have already proven themselves worthy of a Top 50 ranking.   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='502542' first='Ava' last='Meierotto'] – The crafty guard from Duluth Marshall has outstanding handles and shoots the ball consistently from long distance. Her hands and feet are quick, and she has already proven that she can be a go-to player at the Class 2A level. She averaged 13 points per game as an 8th grader and has earned a prospect ranking of #30.</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='478373' first='Chloe' last='Carlson'] – Chloe was the best performer on the floor on Saturday in my opinion. She has grown some and filled out a little. That's helped. After a summer in which she turned in one great tournament performance after another it looks like Carlson's confidence is soaring. She was knocking down shots and scoring at the rim with ease. Chloe is rated at #35 in the class.</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='478376' first='Anna' last='Saari'] – At 5'3, Anna isn't built like a scholarship-level basketball player. Some things can't be measured, however. Saari's got skills to spare. She shoots the ball as well as anyone in her grade. And she's got this presence about her that makes you feel confident that whatever she does next will be the right choice. Anna is now ranked #43 among Minnesota's 9th grade prospects.</li></ul>   Feeding the Future   The three freshmen are impressive, but there's more where that came from. Two middle schoolers also jumped out at us.   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='786203' first='Bethany' last='Black Lance'] – We watched the 2028 guard from Brainerd some this summer but not enough to get a good feel for her possibilities. On Saturday we definitely saw it. Playing with and against college-bound seniors, Bethany looked right at home. She's got length, athleticism and a pretty solid skillset. Perhaps most importantly she clearly loves the game and is willing to do whatever is necessary to excel.</li><li>Peyton Walker – Also from Proctor is this athletic 2027 guard who just looks like a jock. She comes from a family of tall athletes, which bodes well. She's not super smooth, and there is plenty of skill refinement to be done, but Peyton is a bundle of energy who plays with passion, positivity and potential. We loved her intangibles which is way more important than most people think.</li></ul>   The Sleeper   If you are looking for a sleeper in the group I'd suggest you check out Two Harbors senior [player_tooltip player_id='517639' first='Karly' last='Holm']. She showed us a ton. Karly has a ways to go to hone her game but the upside is huge. At about 5'8, she is a long, athletic guard with some serious hops and a smooth shooting delivery who gives off a ton of energy on the floor. This is a player who could blossom with a year or two of JUCO ball. It's never too late to be great!   Making noise   Build it and they will come. Isn't that what they say? That is certainly the story so far for Starks Academy. While the organization doesn't have a physical facility yet – building anything in Duluth is a monumental challenge these days – they have certainly built a reputation in the basketball community. That's why so many players are coming from far and wide to train in Duluth. Holm lives in Two Harbors. That's 27 miles up the shore of Lake Superior. Aniyah Thomas and her sister [player_tooltip player_id='1055102' first='Farrah' last='Thomas'] drove the 67 miles south from Mountain Iron on Saturday. Compton and Oehrlein are commuting 100 miles each way from Crosby to workouts. Black Lance drives 114 miles from Brainerd. 2025 guard Halle Eischens lives 154 miles west in Park Rapids. She made the 300+ mile round trip on Saturday even though she has a pulled groin and could only watch from the sidelines. That kind of dedication speaks volumes about why Starks Academy is making a ton of noise in the Northland.

Most people go “up North” at this time of year to see the fall colors. I spent my Saturday in Duluth looking at the future of basketball in the Northland. The Zenith City was positively buzzing on a windy fall day by the shores of Lake Superior. We stopped at Canal Park for a look-see, but it was overrun with tourists wearing flannel. We then ventured to the Lincoln Park neighborhood, a formerly run-down commercial district that is rapidly being transformed into Hipster central thanks to places like OMC Smokehouse and Bent Paddle Brewing. The lineup at the 190 Coffee and Tea shop was so long that we decided to move on from there, too. Later we ventured out for lunch up the hill near the University of Minnesota-Duluth, but it was tough to find a seat in a restaurant as the Bulldog faithful had overrun the neighborhood on their way to the Homecoming football game. This is a happening place!