Our Mission

Using basketball as a tool to inspire young hearts and
minds towards building a better future.

The Five-Star Foundation strives to make a positive impact on our communities by providing exceptional basketball and life-skills instruction as a means to inspire, educate, and guide children towards their potential as student-athletes and as people.

Our History

The Five-Star Foundation was founded in 2002 by Stephen J. Beck and Leigh A. Klein. The Foundation is a non-profit outgrowth of Five-Star Basketball Camp, Inc. In 1966, Five- Star Basketball Camp was founded by Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein. Five-Star has been the nation’s premier teaching camp for the past four decades. We are a breeding ground for over 300 NBA players and countless college players. The list includes Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Grant Hill, Jay Williams and Alonzo Mourning.

Further, over 250 Five-Star coaches have ascended from our sidelines to coach in Division I college basketball and nearly two dozen to the NBA. The list of Five-Star “originals” includes Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello, Rick Pitino, Dick Vitale, and Chuck Daly.

Michael Jordan at Five-Star Pitt Camp in 1980 shows the great effort and concentration that would become the key ingredients to becoming the best that ever played.