Not many defensive linemen pass up a chance to play college football so they can attend Louisburg College. But most defensive linemen can't throw down a windmill dunk, either.

Chris Smith never envisioned himself being a Camel, especially when he accepted Louisburg's basketball scholarship after his high school graduation. What made the 6'4, 270-pounder choose basketball over football?

"I can dunk-easily," said Smith with a huge grin before turning serious. "I grew up wanting to play basketball; it was my first love. I was always bigger and taller than everyone else, but then after high school I stopped growing."

The kid who grew up rooting for "whoever Shaq was playing for" played basketball from as early as he can remember and didn't take up football until middle school. He played AAU hoops during high school and competed against the likes of Greg Oden and Malcolm Delaney on the AAU circuit.

Football is in Smith's genes-his uncle Terry Moore played on the offensive line for NC State, while his other uncle Walter Sturdivant played running back and returned kicks for UNC.

But when recruiters came to scout Smith at Greenville's D.H. Conley High School, Smith told them he wanted to play basketball. After working out on the court for Louisburg, Smith jumped at their scholarship offer and was eventually named Louisburg's freshman of the year.

After averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore, he realized that he wasn't going to dominate like he had in high school; he didn't enjoy a size advantage anymore.

"It finally hit me that I wasn't going to grow anymore," Smith said. "I realized I had a better opportunity by switching sports. I remembered Coach Steele from high school and I got in contact with him about playing football at Campbell. Looking back, I wish I would've stuck with football, but at the time, basketball is what I wanted to do."

Head coach Dale Steele was more than happy to give Smith a shot in Buies Creek.

"He just showed up and said he'd decided basketball wasn't for him and that he wanted to play for us," said Steele. "We knew what kind of kid he was in high school, and I wish we could say we did a good job recruiting him the first time, but we lost him-he just came back to us the second time."

Smith brings a great amount of athleticism and natural ability to the Camel defense, according to Steele.

"He's a very athletic young man," said Steele. "His athleticism, maturity, and speed are things we need to have-they certainly add to our defensive scheme."

Defensive coordinator Art Link echoed Steele's beliefs.

"He's big enough to take on blocks and athletic enough to get around the edge," said Link. "We've been able to move him around and put him in different situations because of his abilities. The biggest challenge with Chris was the physical aspect of the position, definitely not the athletic side."

The transition from power forward to defensive linemen has had its share of difficulties for the Greenville native.

"Getting used to the technique has been the hardest part for me," Smith said. "A pass rush is almost like a chess match-you have to make the defense think you're doing one thing, but then counter it with another move. And it all starts with footwork."

Steele believes Smith needs to get stronger and be more physical in order to improve.

"Obviously it's been a long time since he's played football," said Steele. "Strength and conditioning for football is different than it is for basketball. When you've been away from the game for awhile, it takes time to get back in the groove, but he's able to make up for some mistakes he makes with his athletic talent."

Smith didn't participate in a strength program at D.H. Conley and was blown away by Campbell's strength and conditioning program.

"In high school I never lifted weights-they used to tell me 'just go shoot free throws,'" said a laughing Smith. "The first day I was here, we had a circuit workout, which is one of the hardest things we do, and I barely made it through that. I almost passed out."

He also has had to adapt to having a busy schedule.

"From the time I wake up, I have class, workouts, then practice, and then study hall," said Smith. "By the time I get done with that, it's nine or ten o'clock and it's time to go to sleep and then do the same thing the next day."

Smith gets plenty of advice from his uncles on the rigors of playing college football. His uncle Terry gets in touch with Smith almost every day to stress the importance of hard work, staying hydrated, stretching, and succeeding academically.

"My uncles tell me to stay focused on the books," said Smith. "They always say my abilities will show on the field but I have to take care of my business in the classroom first."

Perhaps Smith's greatest worry at the moment, however, is his rating on the Campbell roster he downloaded for NCAA Football 2011 on his Playstation 3.

"I'm listed as a third-stringer on there, man," Smith said incredulously.

With hard work and more experience, though, Smith will be rated much better on next year's game.

It's a slam dunk.