SOUTHERN STARS BASKETBALL HISTORY

Since 1993, Southern Stars has assisted in the development of numerous players who have gone on to star at the High School, Collegiate, and Professional levels.

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The camp was established in 1993 by close friends Ron Johnson and Paul O’Reilly in Miami, Florida. At the time, Johnson, a New Jersey native, was the Athletic Director and Head Middle School Basketball Coach at Epiphany School, while O’Reilly, originally from Illinois, was a Physical Education Teacher and Head Middle School Basketball Coach at St. Timothy School in Miami. They directed the very first Southern Stars Basketball Camp at Ransom- Everglades Glades School in Coconut Grove, Florida, by inviting 85 of the best middle school basketball players in Dade County.

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By the spring of 1998, with Southern Stars well-established in Florida, Johnson and O’Reilly were honored to receive an invitation to conduct the Southern Stars Basketball Camp at St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota. The week spent working with the young people at St. Joseph’s School was incredibly impactful!

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In 2000, Southern Stars was dealt a major blow when Coach O’Reilly passed away at the age of 35 from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Coach O’Reilly’s talent as an enthusiastic communicator and teacher of the game was a tremendous loss to Southern Stars Basketball Camp. Following Coach O’Reilly’s passing, Coach Johnson continued to direct the camp successfully in Florida through 2003.

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In 2005, Southern Stars relocated to North Carolina. Since establishing itself in North Carolina, Southern Stars has continued to conduct exciting full-week and weekend mini-camps in Concord, Burlington, and Charlotte. Each event continues to attract some of the state's most eager and talented young players.

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