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Charles Henderson’s contests with Lovejoy High School on Saturday will be more than just basketball games. It will be a time to reflect on the lives of two former players.

The Trojans will hold the inaugural Trojans Forever Memorial Game where they will honor former Trojans Keith and Anthony Starks.

“It’s going to be emotional for a lot of people, myself included,” head coach Tim Fayson said. “They were well known and liked in the Troy community.”

Keith and Anthony Starks played for Charles Henderson in the 80’s. Keith Starks played varsity basketball for the Trojans from 1983 until 1988 beginning as an eighth grader. Anthony Starks played for the Trojans from 1985 until 1989. Anthony passed away in March of 2010 and Keith passed away in August of 2019, both due to heart-related issues.

When Fayson took over head coaching duties in April he set out to instill the “Trojan Spirit” and honor the former players including the ones that have passed away.

“We are trying to bring back the history and heritage of Charles Henderson basketball and try and bridge the old with the new,” Fayson said. “Getting the younger guys a sense of what it means to play Charles Henderson basketball.

“It’s a rich tradition and I just want to remember all those great players who came through and don’t always get the recognition. Me and coach Jones got together to try and bring back the Trojan sprit by recognizing the past and embracing the future.”

The Trojans are encouraging all the fans to wear white on Saturday. The mother of Keith and Anthony Starks will be in attendance on Saturday and the coach Lovejoy is a cousin of the two.

“There will be a lot of family at the game,” Fayson said. “We thought it would be great, since they were going to have a lot of family there, for them to be the first people we will honor in this inaugural event.”

The varsity girls will begin at 1 p.m. and the varsity boys will follow shortly after.