In the fall of 2006, a seemingly ordinary youth basketball team in San Marcos, California, became the catalyst for an extraordinary initiative. Rick Clark, coaching his two young sons in the San Marcos Youth Basketball (SMYBB) Pee-Wee league, recognized that the typical competitive environment was proving overwhelming for his son Jacob, who had been diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. This realization sparked a desire in Rick and his wife Emmie to create a more inclusive sporting opportunity, leading them to propose a special needs group within SMYBB. The enthusiastic support they received laid the groundwork for what would become the Shooting Stars Basketball program, a venture that has since blossomed into the broader Shooting Stars Special Needs Group, dedicated to providing fun, non-competitive, and encouraging activities for underserved individuals with disabilities in the San Marcos community.