Professed basketball star Kimani Ffriend converses with 'Make Your Mark' campers at the University of Technology in St Andrew. - Contributed

Kimani Ffriend has made his mark in various basketball arenas across the world, with his latest being with the national team at the Caribbean championships.

However, it was in taking time out last week that he made one of the most important passes of his career.

Ffriend was guest speaker at the 'Make Your Mark' youth camp, being held at the University of Technology (UTech), St Andrew.

"Education is key in terms of success anywhere. I am testimony to someone who had to do schoolwork to get to where I am and I had to have that discipline and drive to be successful," Ffriend said in his interactive discourse with the teenagers.

Kimani told the campers about his humble beginnings, from being at the bottom of his class to being a well-travelled basketball star.

His nomadic basketball career has seen him playing in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, as well as teams in Turkey, Russia, Italy, Israel and Serbia where he met his wife.

His latest stint with Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi basketball team in Mersin, Turkey, saw him helping the team to the play-offs for the first time in its history. He has been a member of the Jamaica National Basketball team since 1998 and helped captain the team in the recently concluded championship.

The youngsters were lively and questioned Ffriend about how he adjusted to living in so many countries, the food he ate and issues he had with language barriers.

Sixteen-year-old Damollee Coore, from Manchester, said that what stood out to her the most in Ffriend's presentation "was his emphasis on education".

"The camp has been quite excellent. I have seen him (Ffriend) on TV a couple times so I was excited when Mr Kimani showed up," said 15-year-old Jordon Mollison from Kingston.

Unbelievable

"His life story sounds unbelievable; to go from being at the bottom of your class to being a star from a little island. I have learnt from his speech that schoolwork is very important."

Ffriend, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, said he has plans to give back to Jamaica.

"In the future, I want to give back to Jamaica by building a facility here, especially for youths to play basketball and get scholarships," he said.

Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, organiser of the camp, told The Gleaner that the camp caters for teenagers and is not like any other.

"It is about their personal development and growth, teaching them things like money management and getting them to understand Jamaica," she said.

The camp has been making its mark on the teenagers involved since July 6, and is intended to leave a lifelong mark beyond its July 30 conclusion.

ryon.jones@gleanerjm.com