East Coast Invitational is a championship camp

 You can learn a lot of things in summer camp. How to build a bird house, why you should know the difference between weeds and poison ivy, how not to drown, why skunks are not good house pets.

You know, useful stuff.

But come to Jacksonville's most well-known summer camp and you can learn something very unique. Like how to win a state high school basketball championship.

The eighth annual East Coast Invitational Team Camp will tip off this Thursday and once again 18 top high school basketball teams will be on hand to fine tune for next season. They will be playing against each other at Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center, Jacksonville Commons Middle School and Northside High School.

The odds are very good that at least one of them will be crowned a state champion come March. Because since the camp was founded in 2001 by then Jacksonville High School head coach Wells Gulledge, at least one team has played in the East Coast camp and then won a state crown.

The high point came in 2005 when 4-A North Mecklenburg and 3-A Greensboro Dudley each won in North Carolina and Newport News Woodside was the 3-A Virginia champ.

"It goes to show you that success in this camp means something for your regular season," said Gulledge, now the head coach at Kinston High School. "The competition is just that good that is allows you to fine tune a lot of things that you need to be successful."

This year's lineup includes four teams from Onslow County - Jacksonville, Northside, Southwest and White Oak. The rest all come from in-state. Besides Kinston, fans will get a chance to see Winston-Salem Ronald Ragan, East Chapel Hill, Trinity, Raleigh Millbrook, Dudley, Raleigh Broughton, Concord, Ragsdale, Richmond Senior, Wilmington Hoggard, Southern Wayne, North Mecklenburg and West Rowan.

It was Gulledge's Kinston team that kept the state championship string alive a year ago, claiming the 3-A championship over Trinity, another camp participant.

The Vikings' title was the 11th won by an East Coast Team Camp participant. Also, in four of the championship wins, the runner-up was also a Team Camp alumnus.

"You just get such good competition down there," said North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis, who figures to bring in one of the most balanced teams this year. "I think our program really took off when we played well there a couple of years before we won our title. It's such a help."

Gulledge agreed.

"It certainly proved that way for us," he added. "It's kind of like a (GPS device) for your program. It shows you where you want to go and the best way to get there.

"We were able to map out what we needed to do and work on it. It allows these teams to see just where they are and what they need to work on."

The timing of the camp, coming this late in the summer and just before the annual North Carolina Coaches Clinic, makes it a very desirable commodity.

"The interest has never been higher," said Gulledge. "We have had so many guys who want to get their teams in here for so long and we just haven't been able to get them here.

"I think we are going to sit down and talk with the coaches about changing some things. We might have to, after taking the local teams, hold a drawing or something next year to give some of these other teams a chance. We have to work out something new for 2009.

"We are so lucky to have Jones-Onslow Electric Membership Corporation and the Onslow County Sports Commission helping us make this an attractive and affordable event for these guys to come. I really think this is the best team camp on the East Coast and one of the best in the country."

The camp has always attracted top recruits. Because of the large number of colleges represented by scouts and coaches attending, it's a great place to be seen.

Some 30 participants have played for Division I schools. Players like Rashawn Terry at North Carolina, Eric Williams at Wake Forest, Jacksonville's own Jamal Shuler at Virginia Commonwealth, Casaan Breeden at Florida State, Ra'Sean Dickey at Georgia Tech, Ishmael Smith at Wake Forest, Anthony King at Miami and Kinston products Corey Rouse and Jeremy Ingram at East Carolina.

Last year's top D-I recruit was 7-foot Ty Walker of New Hanover who will attend Wake Forest after being recruited by almost every ACC school.

But there have been even more move on to the smaller schools, including the likes of White Oak's Bryan Streeter. The 6-6 Streeter transferred to Mount Olive after a stint at The Citadel and led the Trojans to the Division II finals this past season in an All-American senior campaign.

Gulledge has the top name coming into this camp in rising junior Reggie Bullock, who already has committed to North Carolina. The 6-6, 185-pounder is ranked the nation's 15th best prospect in the Class of 2010 by ESPN and as the No. 2 shooting guard. He is ranked as high as No. 8 nationally by other scouting services.

"He is a pure No. 2 whose skill level is off the charts," said Gulledge. "We lost a lot of scoring last year and Reggie will have to step up for us. He certainly has all the talent to do that.

"He's a great kid who works hard all the time. We went up to Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago and he got a chance to play a pickup game with the entire Tar Heels team including Tyler Hansbrough. He learned that he has to get a little stronger and be more physical. It was a good lesson for him."

North Meck is also bringing in a very talented bunch, especially across the front line. Andre Merhold, a 6-8 center, is being recruited heavily by Marquette, Bradley, Clemson and UNC-Wilmington. Kyle Gaillard, a 6-7 rising senior, is one of Davidson's prospects. The Vikings also have a highly touted rising sophomore in 6-7 forward Bernard Sullivan.

Concord is loaded again with 6-5 shooting guard Corey Thompson and 7-0 prospect David Wishard, while West rowan has a top rising junior in 6-6 forward K.J. Sherrill. Ragsdale is led by 6-4 shooting guard Jay Canty, who is being looked at by several colleges.

Southwest point guard Jamal Williams is also looking to showcase his talents before the college scouts.