"Basketball can't be all of (life)," the native of Jamaica said this week. The 6-9 center from St. Benedict Prep in Newark, N.J., averaged 19.7 points and 10.3 rebounds last season and is one of the nation's top basketball prospects.

"We have to learn to have a life after basketball and off the court," Samuels says.

That is the point of the camp, according to director and former NBA player Tim McCormick, who has been running the weeklong camp for 13 years.

More than 70 current and former NBA players have attended the camp since its inception in 1994, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and University of Texas forward Kevin Durant, considered the first or second pick in next week's NBA draft.

Last year, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard spoke to players about the leap from high school to the NBA.

This year's camp, held on the University of Virginia's campus, hosts 100 of the nation's top high school basketball rising seniors.

Instructors at the five-day camp, which began on Tuesday and ends tomorrow, include current NBA players David West, Emeka Okafor and Marc Jackson.

In tandem with basketball instruction and games, players discuss pitfalls that pro and college athletes encounter. Topics range from avoiding legal woes and drug abuse to interview techniques and careers after basketball.

"We want to make them understand they have to be professionals and worry about their image," McCormick said. "There are a thousand career killers out there, and if players are smart, they can avoid them."

During opening ceremonies, McCormick demanded that every player stand with correct posture as they introduced themselves. When a player remained seated or mumbled during their intro, energetic camp instructors and coaches booed and made them try again.

"This next 110 hours could not only improve your game," McCormick told the players. "This camp could improve your life."

Samuels said the camp has helped make him more well-rounded as a professional than other camps he attended.

Samuels, who went to Adidas- and Nike-sponsored camps, said those camps, "mostly show you to college coaches and give you exposure. This camp teaches you how to be a better player and take your game to the next level."

But he said the camp's emphasis on achieving success on and off the court helped him make the decision to go to Louisville.

"I'm more focused on the classroom because I know that education is an opportunity that basketball can make for me," he said.

Purvis Short, who spent 12 years in the NBA with Golden State, Houston and New Jersey, said campers open up during the life skills development sessions.