Howard Garfinkel: The King of Basketball Camp
In the Basketball world, there are a handful of individuals who are on the proverbial Mt. Rushmore. Mr. Howard Garfinkel is somebody who has earned a spot on that monument because of the countless hours he’s spent developing his scouting service and Basketball Camp. In 1965, he started High School Basketball Illustrated, a scouting service that was based on New York area players. The Five Star Basketball Camp, which was founded alongside his business partner Will Klein, came a year later and is known to have produced over 600 NBA players and 10,000 NCAA Division 1 players, operating in Honesdale (PA), Virginia, and Pittsburgh.
Howard Garfinkel with a High School aged Alonzo Mourning at Five Star Basketball Camp. Photo courtesy of SB Nation
Five Star Basketball Camp was a pretty much a prerequisite for ballers looking to play professionally. Garf had an eye for talent, being the first scout to lay eyes on players like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant just to name a few. Alongside guys like Tom Konchalski, Garfinkel grew his basketball empire to the top of the food chain. Mr. Garfinkel had a knack for persuading talented but low-profile coaches to lead basketball drills and deliver lectures, usually for little or no money. Many of those coaches became the biggest names in Basketball: Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Chuck Daly, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Billy Donovan, and a New Jersey schoolteacher named Dick Vitale.
Garf was a charismatic guy who put a lot of people on the road to success. When he spoke people listened. Photo courtesy of SB Nation
In 1984, Garfinkel sold his HS scouting service to Konchalski. The Five Star basketball camp lasted until 2008 under his watch. In an interview with The Associated Press in 2011, Garfinkel seemed as proud of his helping coaches as much as the players. He paved the way for so many people in the basketball world. Long before the culture of AAU tournaments and grassroots basketball took over, Garfinkel’s Five-Star camp was there. Garfinkel was also the founder of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Additionally, he was inducted in 2014 into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the college game.
Garf gave many household names their start in Basketball. Here he is at Five Star with Duke’s Coach K. Photo courtesy of Medium
On May 7th, 2016 Garfinkel, at the age of 86, passed away after succumbing to complications of lung cancer. He left a giant void in the game and would forever be classified as a legend in the game. There was something about his personality that drew people in and inspired confidence. He will forever be missed in the game of basketball and his legacy is cemented in the hearts of countless basketball players, coaches, and historians alike. Salute Garf ? May you Rest In Peace.