She doesn't make every shot she takes, she said, but she makes "most of them."

Amari was among 250 Columbus-area youngsters who yesterday attended the one-day Jr. NBA /JR. WNBA Pledge To Be a S.T.A.R. Summer Camp.

The traveling program, in its third year, made its first visit to Columbus, one of eight cities on the tour this summer.

"Our mission is to bring it to non- NBA cities," said Eric Dimiceli, communication coordinator for the National Basketball Association . "Kids in Columbus can't go to NBA games very often, so we're bringing the NBA experience to them."

The camp included a morning of drills -- passing, dribbling, shooting and rebounding -- in the four-court gym at Willis.

Camp participants, boys and girls ages 8 to 13, learned how to make layups and throw chest passes before meeting Chris Quinn, a Dublin native and guard for the Miami Heat.

S.T.A.R. stands for "sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude and respect" -- themes that run through the camp.

Shakira Jones, 12, of the North Side wanted to learn better sportsmanship on the court.

"If somebody is cheating, I get mad," she said.

The NBA rented the North Side complex for the free event; each camper received lunch and a T-shirt. Two NBA clinicians led the camp as head coaches, with the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department providing 25 volunteers.

The volunteers included North Side resident Tom Perry, a former high-school Basketball coach.

"A lot of kids think they know about Basketball until they get out here and realize there's more to it than just shooting," Perry said. "They have to understand how hard it is and how they have to work at it.

"I don't think they realized that until today."

During the six hours of drills and practice, the children kept their energy level high -- which NBA clinician Sean Hanrahan said was needed because they were learning "every basic there is." \ The camp filled up quickly, recreation administrator Steve Aumiller said.

"We have so many kids in camps and playgrounds who wanted to do this that we didn't even have to open it up to the public," he said. "We could probably do a camp each week all summer and fill them all up."

Hanrahan, head Basketball coach at Warner University in Florida, enjoys taking part in the camp because of the effect he has on young lives, he said.

"Basketball is such an avenue to do so many different things," he said.

"You've got to have good habits. And if you have good habits in athletics, it usually transfers over into the rest of your life."

ekersjes@dispatch.com