Alexander Starling (born February 6, 1989) is an American-Australian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for the
South Adelaide Panthers of the
NBL1 Central
NBL1 Central, formerly the Premier League, is a semi-professional basketball league in South Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball South Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to ...
. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for
Palm Beach State College
Palm Beach State College is a public college in Lake Worth, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 27,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associa ...
and the
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats
The Bethune–Cookman Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Bethune–Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune-Cookman is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division I Football Champions ...
before embarking on an
Australian rules football career after being identified as an international prospect. He attempted to crack the ranks of the
Australian Football League (AFL) between 2011 and 2014 before eventually returning to basketball and making a name for himself in the NBL1 Central in South Australia. He has won three NBL1 Central championships with three different teams and is a two-time league MVP winner. He debuted in the
National Basketball League (NBL) in 2023 with the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
.
Early life
Starling was born in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
He grew up in
Richmond Heights and attended Leewood Elementary and Richmond Heights Middle School.
Starling attended
Miami Killian Senior High School. As a senior in 2006–07, he was named First Team All-Dade, Second Team All State, First Team All-District and Killian High School Male Athlete of the Year. He averaged 20.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
College career
Starling played his first season of
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for
Palm Beach State College
Palm Beach State College is a public college in Lake Worth, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 27,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associa ...
, where he averaged 3.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 23 games in 2007–08.
In April 2008, Starling signed a
National Letter of Intent with
Bethune–Cookman University
Bethune–Cookman University (BCU or Bethune–Cookman) is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, Wh ...
.
As a sophomore in 2008–09, Starling started in all 33 games he played for the
Wildcats
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
and averaged 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game.
He scored a season-high 18 points twice, first on debut and again in his seventh game. He had a season-high 15 rebounds in February 2009.
As a junior in 2009–10, Starling again started in all 33 games he played and averaged 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.0 steals in 30.4 minutes per game.
He had a career-high 28 points and 14 rebounds in the third game of the season.
As a senior in
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
, Starling again started in all 33 games he played and averaged 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game.
He scored a season-high 19 points in December 2010. He earned second-team All-
MEAC honors and helped the Wildcats win their first-ever MEAC championship. In his final home game, he stole an inbound pass and hit a bank shot with two seconds remaining in overtime against
Florida A&M
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...
that secured Bethune-Cookman's first 20-win season since 1976–77.
In 99 career games for the Wildcats, Starling averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 30.3 minutes per game.
As of 2018, he was the seventh all-time leading rebounder in Wildcats history.
Australian rules football
In May 2011, Starling was introduced to
Australian rules football when the
Sydney Swans of the
Australian Football League (AFL) identified him as an international prospect. The following month, he attended an AFL Draft Combine in
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...
.
In August 2011, he travelled to
Sydney, Australia, for a three-week testing period.
In January 2012, Starling signed an international scholarship with the Sydney Swans.
It was reportedly a two-year, $180,000 contract.
The scholarship allowed him to finish his four-year degree in
Business Administration at Bethune–Cookman University
while also making several trips to Sydney in 2012 to train with the Swans.
The plan was for Starling to be recruited to the Swans' senior list as an international rookie in 2013,
but a lingering stress fracture in one of his legs saw him part ways with the Swans.
In December 2013, Starling moved to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to join the
Frankston Football Club of the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL). After the deal fell through over the summer, he moved to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in January 2014 to train with the Port Adelaide Magpies of the
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as t ...
(SANFL); their parent organisation, the
Port Adelaide Football Club of the AFL, was considering Starling for an international rookie spot.
After several months training with Port, the club committed its international rookie spot to Irishman
Daniel Flynn and wanted Starling to prove himself via the Magpies. Starling turned the offer down and instead turned his attention back to basketball.
Basketball career
In early 2014, Starling joined the Woodville Warriors of the South Australian
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
and also began training with the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
of the
National Basketball League (NBL).
With Woodville, he averaged 20.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game
and helped the team win the
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
behind his 36 points in the grand final against the
West Adelaide Bearcats
West Adelaide Bearcats is a NBL1 Central club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The club fields both a men's and women's team. The club is a division of the overarching West Adelaide Basketball Club (WABC), the major administrative basketball o ...
. He earned grand final MVP, league MVP and All-Star Five honors.
In 2015, Starling played for the Warrnambool Seahawks of the
Big V Division One.
He averaged 21.6 points and 12.7 rebounds to go with 20 double-doubles and one triple-double.
He was named team MVP
and earned league All-Star Five honors. He was also a finalist for league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
In 2016, Starling returned to the Premier League to play for the Southern Tigers.
He helped the Tigers win the championship and earned All-Star Five honors.
Starling joined the North Adelaide Rockets for the 2017 Premier League season and earned Best Defensive Player honors.
He returned to the Rockets in 2018 and once again earned league MVP and All-Star Five honors. He averaged 22.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a league-leading 3.6 steals per game.
With the Rockets in 2019, he earned Best Defensive Player honors for the second time.
In December 2019, Starling signed with the
South Adelaide Panthers for the 2020 season. The Premier League was rebranded as
NBL1 Central
NBL1 Central, formerly the Premier League, is a semi-professional basketball league in South Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball South Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to ...
in 2020, but the season was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. He had also been touted to make his football debut in 2020 with the Gawler Central Football Club in regional South Australia.
With the Panthers in 2021, Starling led the NBL1 Central in rebounds and steals. In 12 games, he averaged 16.5 points, 13.17 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game.
In 2022, Starling helped the Panthers win the championship while earning grand final MVP behind his 31 points and 18 rebounds against the Woodville Warriors. He once again earned the league's Best Defensive Player award. In 20 games, he averaged 20.15 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.15 assists, 2.75 steals and 1.35 blocks per game.
Starling returned to the Panthers for a third season in 2023. He was the league's rebounding leader with 13.13 per game and once again earned Best Defensive Player and All-Star Five honors. In 16 games, he averaged 21.25 points, 13.38 rebounds, 3.44 assists, 2.69 steals and 1.19 blocks per game.
On May 23, 2023, Starling signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the
2023–24 NBL season.
In 25 games, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
In March 2024, Starling re-joined the South Adelaide Panthers for the 2024 NBL1 Central season.
Personal life
Starling's mother is Jennifer Davis. He has an older sister and an older brother.
In May 2023, Starling gained his
Australian citizenship
Australian nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds Australian legal nationality. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, which Coming into force, came into force on 1 July ...
.
References
External links
NBL1 profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starling, Alex
1989 births
Living people
Adelaide 36ers players
American expatriate basketball people in Australia
American men's basketball players
American players of Australian rules football
Australian men's basketball players
Basketball players from Miami
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats men's basketball players
Forwards (basketball)
Miami Killian Senior High School alumni
Naturalised citizens of Australia
Palm Beach State College alumni