Keenan Starling was supposed to show up with teammate Mark Villa to Wednesday’s Kern High School District All-Star game at North High.
But Villa was nowhere to be found, which made Starling to be Del Oro’s lone representative at the game.
“Mark just said he was ready to move forward after basketball,” Suns head coach Mike Cardenas said.
It turned out that Starling didn’t need Villa to back him up, as “The Town All Stars” faced “Team Dunk,” losing 87-80. Starling finished the game with three points and three rebounds. He also added two assists and three steals.
The All-Star game featured the best basketball players throughout Kern County. Starling was one of the starters for the game.
“It was real fun,” he said. “I got to experience playing with very talented players.”
In addition to Cardenas, Starling’s team was also led by Del Oro assistant coach Rick Pablo.
“It felt like a regular day,” Starling said. “Like I was at practice.”
After the game, Cardenas said he was proud of Starling’s production this season and said he deserved to play in this year’s All-Star game.
