 In
2004 15 year-old Samardo Samuels, a
then Muschette Comprehensive
High School student, was the
youngest Jamaican player to leave
the island on a full basketball
scholarship.
Samuels
left Jamaica within the first week
of July 2004 for New York, where he
honoured a full scholarship at the
Our Savior Christian Academy,
upstate New York. He later
transferred to his current school,
St. Benedicts Prep in New Jersey.
The
Trelawny youngster caught the eyes
of Steve Johnston during the Jamaica
Basketball Association's Star Search
and Life Skill development camp at
GC Foster in 2003. He was one of the
five top players in the Junior
category at the camp.
Samardo
has represented the National
Under-19 team in 2004 while only 15
years old and was instrumental in
leading Muschette Comprehensive to
back-to-back victories in the ISSA/KFC
Under-16 competition in 2002 and
2003 respectively, where he was
voted MVP on both occasions. That
same year he was voted the top
three-point shooter in the ISSA /KFC
competition.
A few
of us in this region of our island
was able to take in this guy in 2006
at an event dubbed All-Star Showdown
and he did not disappoint. Local
players who grew up with Samardo
were in awe as they watch this 250lbs phenomenon display some
of the best basketball all in one
package. Others listened to his
story and are elated by his success.
"I feel good knowing that he was
here from the initial stage when he
did not have the ball-handling
skills and now to see him grow to be
the best in the island is very good,
commented one member of the media
present. He continued to describe
Samuels as a humble, hard-working
and dedicated individual who will
end up in the NBA god's willing.
The
Samardo Tracker will follow him in a
monthly spot on this website, as he
allows us to share in his world on
his way to the college and
ultimately the NBA.
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