The summer of 2006 marks the 15th anniversary for the New York Knicks Summer Basketball Camp. This year, the Knicks are proud to host five weeks of basketball day camp for children of the New York Metropolitan community with locations at Basketball City in Manhattan, Pace University in Westchester and Island Garden in West Hempstead, Long Island.

Still, the day leading up to the Big Event wasn’t exactly chopped liver either.

“The Knicks created this camp 15 years ago,” commented camp Director and former Long Island high school basketball coach Marty Riger, who has been there from the very beginning, said. ”And to witness the growth and development we’ve gone through has been really remarkable. The way we are different from other camps is that we emphasize basketball fundamentals -- and life skills. It’s a relaxed place, comfortable for the kids, where you learn not only about basketball -- let’s face it, there is only a one out of a million chance anybody here will get to the NBA -- but also the importance of sportsmanship, friendship, being a good person, education, and life priorities. We talk a lot about being goal-oriented, having a purpose. The most satisfying thing is -- and it has happened quite often -- when a young person comes back and says ‘you helped me become the person that I am.”

All this while the hoops instruction -- conducted by 20 current high school and college coaches and assistant coaches, most with extensive professional playing experience -- is beyond first-rate. Stanford star Danny Grunfeld -- about to be drafted by the pros -- and current NCAA Final Four MVP Yoakim Noah, were both former to Knicks summer campers.

No wonder the returnee ratio is nearly 50 per cent.

“It’s my eighth year here,”18 year-old Adam Feit says with a smile. “I always come back because it’s not only great fun but you also learn so much about the game. There’s no pressure -- and I’ve become the best player I can be. And the speakers are unbelievable: I’ve already met (Knick Assistant Coach) Herb Williams -- he even sat down and talked to me individually – ‘The Shot Doctor Dave Hopla’, and John Starks.”

Current and ex-Knicks, as well as other NBA and and popular basketball stars residing locally during the summer months such as the NBA 2 time M.V.P. Steve Nash, regularly drop by. Knicks Community Relations/Field Marketing Director Dan Gladstone oversees the program and added, “Knicks Camp is dedicated to providing a structured basketball learning experience that encourages team participation, rugged competition and, above all, good sportsmanship. Our goal is to create an basketball environment that helps children develop self-confidence, improve social skills, and learn how to set and achieve goals under the direction of our staff's positive role models.”

Eleven-year-old Travis Whitfield, a second-time camper, came back for ”the excellent competition, lots of cool kids. And my rebounding got so much better.” His new best friend Marcus Thomas, 13, “heard about this when I did a Knicks clinic at Basketball City. The counselors are awesome – in just one day, I can feel myself getting better.”

Marbury giving advice to campers the Knicks Summer Basketball Camp in West Hempstead, NY. MSG Photos

Thomas wants to ”play in the NBA or be a lawyer”, as does 12 year-old Dara Zarandi who is “a huge Knicks fan. We go to 3-4 Knicks games every year as a family. We live in Fort Lee and my older sister is best friends with Patrick Ewing’s daughter.” Said older sister, watching on the sidelines along with over a dozen doting Moms and Dads, got so enthused that she’ll be “attending Knicks camp in August at Basketball City, for sure.”

Naturally, it all built up to Marbury. “There’s 150 of you, so I want to see 300 eyes looking straight at me,” the star point guard said after crossing the gym triumphantly, with kids hanging off of him on all sides. ”The point is, how many people here would want to make it to the NBA or the WNBA? It’s everybody, right? Well, to do that, you must work hard, you must sacrifice -- and you must pay attention. It’s not for everybody. Sometimes NBA stands for “No Babies Allowed” or “No Boys Allowed”. You must work on your skills all the time, and you must study to remain eligible. The lesson is, whether you’ll make it to the league or not, if you make a commitment to something, stick to it.”

“Whatever you end up doing in life, you must love it! If you don’t love it, don’t do it. So let’s hear it all together, nice and loud: I love this game! I love this game! I LOVE THIS GAME!”. Marbury showed his love for the sport and the campers by hanging out well past the scheduled end of camp to answer questions, sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Knicks Summer Basketball Camp continues with 4 more sessions from July 6 – August 25. The Summer of 2006 also features Knicks skills clinic in Neptune New Jersey on July 15 and a 3 day clinic in Long Island in the Hamptons.

To sign up or for more information on Knicks summer youth basketball programs, click here or call 877-NYK-DUNK.