By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s 6-foot-10 sophomore center EJ Dampier is ranked as the No. 3 player in the country in the class of 2028 by ESPN, was a MaxPreps freshman All-American last season and made the 12-member Team USA Under-16 basketball team last summer.
According to his coach Richard Duease, the 6-foot-10 Dampier – son of former Mississippi State and NBA star Erick Dampier – has made tremendous improvement since his freshman year.
And last week, Dampier continued his improvement and led MRA to a state championship.
Dampier averaged 22.5 points, 13 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in two tournament games to led MRA to the MAIS Class 4A, Division I state title at Jackson Prep.
For his outstanding performance, Dampier has been named the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Boys Basketball Player of the Week.
Dampier – a member of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – had 25 points (9 of 12 from the field), 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in a 62-49 victory over Magnolia Heights in the semifinals and had 20 points ( 9 of 12 from the field), 13 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in a 70-45 victory over Prep in the championship game.
He is averaging 15.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, (fourth in Mississippi according to MaxPreps), 2.7 assists, 2.4 blocked shots (seventh in Mississippi) and 1.2 steals and shooting 68 percent from the field (fourth best in the country) this season going into the week for MRA, 33-2 and ranked No. 2 in Mississippi by MaxPreps. He has had 26 double-doubles (double figure points and rebounds) this season.
Dampier’s season highs are 34 points against Hartfield Academy (also a career high), 22 rebounds against Choctaw Central and Simpson Academy, and 6 blocked shots against Brother Martin, La, Murrah and Jackson Prep.
“It’s like night and day how improved Damp is this year compared to last year,” said Duease, Mississippi’s winningest high school basketball coach, the second winningest active coach in the country and a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who is retiring this season after 51 years, the last 44 at MRA. “He is more aggressive, stronger, bigger, jumps higher, plays way above the rim, has more confidence and has better moves around the basket.
“Damp had a great week last week. He scored a lot, got a bunch of rebounds and blocked shots and was our rim protector on defense. With Damp back there, our other four players are able to go out and pressure the other team. It changes our whole defense.”
Dampier averaged 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game as a freshman and helped MRA to a 17-13 record last season.
He was the only freshman to make the 20-player Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Team last season.
Dampier is the son of Erick and Yolanda Dampier. Erick played basketball at Lawrence County and Mississippi State and played in the NBA for 16 seasons and is now an assistant boys basketball coach at MRA. Yolanda played basketball and ran track and field and cross country at Callaway and received a scholarship for basketball to Jackson State. Dampier has two sisters and one brother. Sister Alyssa plays volleyball and basketball and is a senior at MRA and signed with Southern Miss to play volleyball. She helped MRA win the volleyball state championship this season. Sister Ayanna basketball and volleyball and is in the seventh grade at MRA. Brother Derick plays basketball in the fourth grade at MRA. Yolanda’s father, Marvin Brown, is in the Jackson State Hall of Fame for basketball. Dampier’s first cousin is Germantown senior center and Gonzaga signee Sam Funches.
Dampier had 19 points and 20 rebounds in MRA’s 70-59 victory over Class 3A, Division II champion Rossville, Tenn., Wednesday in the first round of the MAIS Overall Tournament at Mississippi College in Clinton.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a boys basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by sending a text to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
WEEK ONE: Jeff Flanagan, Madison Central
WEEK TWO: Sam Funches, Germantown
WEEK THREE: Lazabian Banks, Lanier
WEEK FOUR: Braxton Ward, Callaway
WEEK FIVE; Austin Richards, Jackson Academy
WEEK SIX: DeShawn Dillon, Northwest Rankin
WEEK SEVEN: Marcus Goodloe, Jackson Academy
WEEK EIGHT: Jeff Flanagan, Madison Central
WEEK NINE: Joe Anthony, Madison St. Joseph
