By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy boys basketball coach Richard Duease is the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history, the second winningest active boys basketball coach in the country, and is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
But this week, Duease has a new first – one of his players made a team for USA Basketball.
MRA rising sophomore EJ Dampier – son of former Mississippi State and 16-year NBA center Erick Dampier – has earned a spot on the 12-player USA National Under-16 Team.
The 6-foot-10 Dampier is the second youngest player on the team. He won’t turn 16 until Oct. 22. Dampier was one of 36 players who tried out for the camp at the USA Basketball headquarters at Colorado Springs, Colo.
The team is scheduled to play in the 2025 FIBA Americup in June 2-8 in Juarez, Mexico. Dampier and his teammates are scheduled to play Mexico June 2nd, Dominican Republic June 3rd, and Argentina June 4th in pool play. Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are also playing in the AmeriCup. After pool play, the first round is June 5th, semifinals June 6th and championship June 8th.
The games will be televised on the FIBA Basketball channel on youtube.com.
The top four teams qualify for next year’s U17 World Cup in Turkey.
The 6-foot-10 Dampier averaged 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game 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.
Dampier – who has career highs of 29 points, 22 rebounds and 7 blocked shots – is ranked No. 3 in the country in the Class of 2028 by ESPN and made second-team freshmen All-American by MaxPreps.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg for Damp,” said Duease, who has won 1,858 games (1,266 boys and 572 girls) and will start his 51st season as a head coach, the last 44 at MRA, next season. “He has really developed since starting for us as an eighth grader for us. Damp is getting better and stronger. He’s been working hard in the weight room. Damp is changing from a boy to a man. He is starting to accept responsibility. Big Erick (Dampier, who was in Colorado with EJ during the tryouts) said the USA coaches like his motor. He is constantly moving and working. Damp’s mental attitude is getting better.”
Dampier is the second Madison County resident to make an USA team in recent years. Germantown High alumnus Madison Booker, the reigning SEC Player of the Year and first-team All-American at the University of Texas, also made the women’s USA National Under 16 team and made the older teams as well several years ago.
