As part of our ongoing series with Columbia University ad the Full Court Press blog; grad student Tanner Simkins spent some time with various marketers and newsmakers in and around sports business. With school ending and the camp season getting started, Tanner talked with Leigh Klein, steward of the legendary Five Star brand.
For over 20 years, Leigh Alan Klein has echoed in the world’s next wave of basketball talent. As CEO and Co-Owner of Five-Star Basketball, he has bridged elite young prospects and tier-one coaching. Five-Star has a long list of iconic player alumni including Moses Malone, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and more. The Five-Star pedigree claims even more basketball legends serving as coaches like Hubie Brown, Rick Pitino, Bob Knight, John Calipari, and the list goes on. Recently, we sat down with Coach Klein for a discussion on general development news and his work with Five-Star. (A detailed biography for Leigh Klein is provided after the Q&A.)
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Full Court Press: Five-Star attracts the best basketball talent at its camps. How have you been able to remain the premiere camp in the country for so long?
Leigh Klein: The success of the camp continues to be rooted in the teaching of the game. We consider Five-Star the last bastion of teaching and it’s more important now than ever before with the sport evolving to a continual season (high school to club).
FCP: You are able to bring together basketball’s greatest coaches, scouts, mentors, and motivators to help with the camps – what’s the dynamic like working with so many great basketball minds?
LK: The link is the insatiable desire that each of these incredible people bring to contribute to the game in some way shape or form. They will not and do not quit without adding something that makes basketball better. They recognize that the Game is bigger than any individual and feel compelled to contribute to it and give back to the current and future generations.
FCP: How would you describe your leadership style?
LK: My objectives in leading are to provoke thought/build the IQ of the individual. The macro is the big picture and the micro are the choices along the way.
FCP: I imagine you have heard some great speeches over the years from visiting coaches – what stands out as the greatest/most moving speech?
LK: The most powerful story I ever heard at camp was from Coach George Raveling. It’s a true story about him as a young assistant coach and of a kid that he constantly crossed paths with along his way to work. The individual begged for his time and attention and George constantly shunned and pushed it off to the next day and then the next day. The kid one day decided to take his own life. Without question it moved me and stuck with me as a constant reminder that the only thing that really matters – is people. You can never be too busy to help a person.
FCP: What does it mean to you to have such a long list of alumni?
LK: We are so fortunate at Five-Star to play a role in the development of so many great players that we encountered as high school kids whether it was Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and on and on, to see how these kids worked to reach their goals is incredible. For me, I’m just the caretaker of the legacy started by my father, Will Klein and his long-time partner, Howard Garfinkel as well as all the incredible contributors who left their impact on basketball and Five-Star Camp. Guys like Hubie Brown, Chuck Daly, Mike Fratello, Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, John Calipari and on and on, made the coaches and players they encountered better. Five-Star was the vehicle but the credit really show go to the incredible people who came through and made basketball better!
FCP: What’s your favorite book, coaching-related or otherwise?
LK: I just read Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson and it’s as good a book as I ever read. I believe it will help me be a better person, better father as well as give me great strategies to implement with our team at Five-Star.
FCP: Any tips for aspiring coaches/sports professionals who may be reading this?
LK: Versatility is the most important skill, for players and for aspiring sports professionals. Continue to add to your skill set. Look how the NBA has evolved, in the past five years, we have seen the rise of video coordinators into coaching. We have seen the emergence of analytics both into coaching and in team management. Lastly, you see, those who were once sports agents now play prominent roles as team presidents and general managers. Versatility!
You have to grind. There are no shortcuts to success. If you can’t embrace the grind, then the industry is not for you. Lastly, learn how to sell. Selling is critical in every aspect. Selling yourself, selling your ideas….if you can sell, there will always be a job for you.
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For the past two decades, Leigh Klein, Five Star Basketball CEO and Co-Owner, has been responsible for the development of the world’s leading basketball instructional brand, Five-Star Basketball Camp. Coach Klein has directed Five-Star’s Instructional Video/DVD Series and has edited five books. He co-founded the Five-Star Foundation where he remains the Vice-President.
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