By Thomas Sellers Jr.
In the Ohio Valley Conference, basketball is played Thursday and Saturday nights.
Murray State Racers Head Coach Matt McMahon remembers one set of games a few year ago when his standout guard Jonathan “Hurt” Stark dropped 36 points on a Thursday night in Missouri. The Racers traveled back home that night to Kentucky.
The next morning McMahon was expecting to be the first one in the CFSB Center facilities. But to his surprise he heard the sounds of a basketball. But McMahon was not shocked to see the player was Stark working on his game.
For many Tipton County residents, that story about Stark’s dedication to the game is just one of many. Add to Stark’s legacy the 2021 Stark Skills Academy held June 9-12 at his alma mater Munford High School.
Nearly 120 area children from elementary to high school age signed up for drills, challenges and lectures from professionals players and area coaches in Munford Cougar Head Coach Nic Buford.
“It’s a blessing,” Buford said. “I’ve been blessed to cross paths with that young man. To me, he’s still Jonathan. Really he likes to be just Jonathan to people. A lot of people don’t know this about him, he’s not an attention seeker. He loves to work in the dark and work by himself.
“He’s one of those people you love to be around and love having play for you,” Buford continued. “This camp really explains who he is. Someone to put on something of this magnitude in a small town like Munford, Tenn., this is Jonathan Stark.”
Keeping the focus on his teammates from high school, college and the pros, Stark was humbled by the reception of the event which included a visit from Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
“It feels great to be back home,” Stark said. “I love coming back to the city getting shown mad love. It feels really good.”
Taking a break for his busy basketball schedule and organizing his next move in the sport, the camp gave Stark a chance to give back and share his journey from Munford to playing basketball all around the world.
“Right now it’s the offseason for me,” he noted. “I am a free agent. I’m just waiting to explore my option right now. Last year I played in Germany. I played for the (JobStairs Giessen) 46ers.”
One of the people who helped the Tipton County product reach the pros with teams like the 46ers and the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves was McMahon.
McMahon told the campers Stark is an example of what hard work and determination can give you.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Stark said. “For of all I want to thank God for the gifts He has given me. It feels good to hear that from a guy who is well-respected in the college ranks. He’s more than just a coach to me. He’s a mentor. He’s a leader and just a great guy. It’s good to have a man like that on your side and talk about you in that kind of way.”
This past season was McMahon’s sixth at Murray. He guided the Racers to the NCAA Tournament behind the talents of players like Morant and Stark.
Stark started his post prep career at Tulane playing two seasons. Stark transferred in 2015 to Murray State earning the First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference as a junior.
He took his team to the OVC Tournament semifinals that season scoring 78 points in a pair of game.
In his senior season, Stark and his classmate Terrell Miller were the spark plugs for the Racers reaching the NCAA Tournament.
During his senior season, Stark scored his 2,000th point on the collegiate level. The Racers went 16-2 in conference play to win the OVC regular season championship. Stark led the conference in scoring with 21.7 points per game in addition to 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Stark was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, first Racer since Cameron Payne in 2015.
Stark and the Racers won the OVC Tournament and earned a spot in that year’s NCAA Tournament field.
“It feels very good to show them that,” Stark said of sharing his story with the campers. “That was the whole point of this to show the Tipton County area. They don’t see a whole lot of guys get this type of opportunity. That was the main reason to give them some type of hope and show them you can make it and your dreams can come true.”
Buford said Stark worked day and night to reach his dream of playing professional basketball.
“A 12-year-old calling me at 7 o’clock in the morning asking me to come pick him up to take him to the gym,” Buford recalled. “It was 7 a.m. The name Hurt didn’t just come from anywhere.”
Buford said it was shortly after all those gym sessions he saw something special in Stark.
“He was probably in the seventh grade,” he noted. “We were playing Lake County Middle in the quarterfinal of the Regionals. We had the ball with probably 20 seconds to go. I drew up something and with him being the youngest person on the court. He took what I drew up out to the court.
“He went from the huddle to the floor and knew what to do,” he continued. “The play ended being broken. So he told everyone ‘Just get out of the way.’ We missed the shot and went to double overtime and won. But for him to be in seventh grade and do that explained who he was and where he was capable of going.”
Before basketball took Stark around the world, he won his first significant title was a Munford Cougar in 2013. After transferring from Brighton, Stark was the focal point of then Head Coach Butch Hopkins’ team.
Stark out dueled players like Dyer County’s Robert Hubbs to take the crown in District 13-3A. Stark had the county and parts of West Tennessee singing the praises of Hurt.
Some of those teammates were conducting drills alongside Stark during the week. Others to give tips to the children, blow the whistle and take pictures were teammates from other levels.
“To everybody else they’re basketball players,” Stark said. “To me they are family. They’re like my brothers. It goes much deeper than just basketball. They are great people, great human being. I call them my brothers.
‘It was always my dream when I was younger to be a professional basketball player,” he concluded. “It just came from the hard work. I was always underrated, too small, the underdog. I had a chip on my shoulder and it made work to become who I am today.”
Buford said the game of basketball has helped Stark form many lasting relationships and he is grateful for the Coach/Player bond they have.
“It’s amazing and I keep saying a blessing,” Buford said. “But that’s what it is. To have someone in your life this long and that relationship never waiver, we always know where each other stands. It’s much bigger than basketball.
“Basketball brought us together but it is a whole lot bigger than the game,” he concluded. “That relationship will always be there. My kids know him. My wife knows him. My mom knows him. My family knows him. He goes up to them and hugs them even if I am not there. For that young man to do what he’s doing not only for our basketball program but for our community that tells you how special our relationship is.”
