Starks joins Thunderwolves' hardwood coaching staff

By: Joe Kraus, Sports Information Director | jkraus@niagaracc.suny.edu

SANBORN — A local legend has entered the SUNY Niagara basketball family.

Niagara Falls native Sanquin Starks is joining the men’s basketball staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2026-27 season, SUNY Niagara head coach Bill Beilein announced July 22. Starks looks to help the Thunderwolves build off a 17-10 season last season, which ended in their 14th NJCAA Region III Division II Final Four appearance in the last 17 years.

“Coach Quin is a great fit for us,” said Beilein, who is SUNY Niagara’s all-time wins leader with 354 and entering his program-record 18th season at the helm. “He brings a history of positive energy, dedication and a direct connection to the community. Sanquin is a model of ‘Community First Winning’ with a very strong resume of success.”

Starks joins SUNY Niagara after spending eight seasons coaching Western New York high school boys basketball in Section VI and the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association. Starks recently spent the last six seasons (2020-21 to 2025-26) as an assistant for his alma mater, Niagara Falls, under Carlos Bradberry. 

With Starks on staff, the Wolverines won three Section VI championships (AA in 2021 and 2023 and AAA in 2024) and the AAA regional crown in 2024. The Wolverines also advanced to the AAA state final four before losing to eventual runners-up Bay Shore, their farthest postseason appearance since winning the AA state title in 2005. 

Niagara Falls also won the Niagara Frontier League championship in 2021 and 2023. Starks also helped develop Niagara Falls’ key players during these six years, including Nick Estell, James Robinson, Tre Gayle, Jalen Bradberry and Ephraim and John Strong.  

“Joining the Thunderwolves staff this year holds immense significance for me,” Starks said. “Over the past few years, I have been an admirer of Coach Beilein and the program. In my assessment, the program has evolved into one of the most formidable in the region, irrespective of its division. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Coach ‘B’ is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional coaches in this area, and the opportunity to learn from him is invaluable. I am filled with excitement and anticipation for this new chapter.

For as long as I can remember, coaching at the collegiate level has been an aspiration of mine. Regardless of the level at which I am coaching, my commitment remains the same. My objective is to contribute to the sport of basketball and assist young players in achieving their aspirations through my playing experience and coaching experience.” 

Starks also found success as a varsity assistant for one season each at Cardinal O’Hara under Tony Pulvirenti in 2018-19 and the former Niagara Catholic High School under Giulio Colangelo in 2017-18. 

At O’Hara, Starks helped the program finish 26-2 overall in 2018-19. The Hawks clinched the CHSAA Class B championship over Regis High School, finished as Federation Class B runners-up to Glens Falls and had a roster that featured future Daemen University great Justin Hemphill.

At Niagara Catholic, Starks contributed on the sidelines during its 17-9 season in 2017-18. In their final season before the school’s closure, the Patriots won the Monsignor Martin’s Manhattan Cup over Cardinal O’Hara, and lost to Regis High School in the CHSAA Class B championship with a roster that featured Jalen Bradberry, Jaemon Turner and Haakim Siner.

Starks also founded 716 United in 2018, a citywide program of the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club that uses sport as the gateway for mentorship, healthy habits, leadership and life skills. 716 United also features a successful AAU basketball program, with nearly a dozen teams ranging from fifth- to 11th-graders, and competing in various tournaments such as the Dru Joyce Classic in Cleveland, Ohio, MADE Hoops NYC Clash in Queens, NY and DMV Live in Springfield, Virginia. 

Starks brings a lengthy scholastic career, including as a three-year starting point guard for then-NCAA Division III D’Youville College during the 2002-03 to 2004-05 seasons. Starks was named the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player recipient for the 2002-03 season.

Starks led the Spartans to a share of the NEAC regular season title and the overall postseason tournament championship in the 2003-04 season. Starks finished his collegiate career with over 1,000 points and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2005.

Starks began his basketball career as a three-year varsity letterman at Niagara Falls High School during the 1999-00 to 2001-02 seasons and posted a 66-5 record. Starks played his final two seasons under former SUNY Niagara/Niagara County Community College men’s basketball head coach Dan Bazzani, who won 197 games from 1971-72 to 1978-79 and is a member of the school’s Athletic Wall of Fame (2001) and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (2009). 

Starks was a member of the final Power-Cats team as a sophomore in 1999-2000. Niagara Falls ended as the Section VI Class A1 runners-up to West Seneca West and finished 18- 3. Starks was then a member of Niagara Falls’ inaugural team with the current Wolverines mascot in 2000-01, following the school district’s merger with LaSalle High School.

In the 2000-01 season, the Wolverines finished 25-1 and clinched the Section VI Class A crossover crown over Bennett. Niagara Falls then won the Far West Regional title over Section V’s Franklin before falling to Section II’s Schenectady. 

Starks was later named a third-team All-Western New York selection and returned for his senior campaign in 2001-02. The Wolverines won a second consecutive Section VI Class A-1 crown but lost to Bennett in a rematch of the section’s Class A crossover championship for a 23-1 finish.

Starks’s younger brother, James, played football at Niagara Falls and graduated in 2005, ran for 3,140 yards and scored 34 rushing touchdowns at the University at Buffalo from 2005 to 2009, and won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie in February 2010. James is now a member of the UB Athletics Hall of Fame (2023) and Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (2025).  

Their cousin, Jonny Flynn, won the Class AA state championship with Niagara Falls basketball in 2005, the program’s last to date. Flynn later played for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse University from 2007 to 2009 and was the sixth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft.

SUNY Niagara men’s basketball now has a coaching staff that features Beilein, Starks and longtime assistants Kareem Brown and Nick Sepe. The Thunderwolves are projected to return key players from last season, including NJCAA all-Region III selection and guard Jacob Humphrey (Buffalo, N.Y.) and forwards Jack Kempf (Pendleton, N.Y.) and Jaedon Hutchinson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 

Founded in the 1963-64 school year — the school’s second year of existence – SUNY Niagara men’s basketball will announce its 2026-27 regular-season schedule at a future date.