In 2004, then 15 year-old Samardo Samuels, a then Muschett 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
honored 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 Muschett 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 his prep and high school basketball careers, as he allows us to share in his world on his way to the NBA.