Players, coaches and fans are mourning the death of legendary pro basketball scout and lifelong New Yorker Howard Garfinkel.
Garfinkel, known as "Garf," opened his Five-Star Basketball camp in 1966, recruiting coaches like Hubie Brown and Bob Knight.
He helped grow basketball camps and recruiting events into an industry.
The alumni of his basketball camp include Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Isiah Thomas, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony. Garfinkel retired in 2008.
His former colleagues at Five-Star Basketball released this statement:
"Garf’s imprint on the sport was unmistakable; from pioneering the basketball-specific specialty camp, a first among traditional sports, to innovating the scouting and evaluation process. He was a visionary."
Howard Garfinkel was 86 years old.