By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s EJ Dampier has started every game and helped the 2026 USA Basketball U17 National Team win four straight games by lopsided scores in the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup in Turkey over the past week.
The 6-foot-10 Dampier – ranked the No. 3 player in the country in the Class of 2028 by ESPN and the 2026 Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Player of the Year – has averaged 4.75 points, shot 81.8 percent from the field (9 of 11), with 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 15.8 minutes per game in the four wins.
USA defeated France 91-68, Japan 128-66, Italy 131-80 and Cameroon 141-85.
USA plays Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals Friday at 4:15 a.m. Central (watch on the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 YouTube channel). Dampier was selected from 36 athletes following several days of training camp at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The 12 players were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee.
Dampier made the 12-member Team USA U16 basketball team last summer.
The USA team have won the gold medal at each of the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup, dating back to 2010. In addition to seven consecutive gold medals, the U.S. have not dropped a game in tournament history (a 51-0 all-time record).
Dampier – the son of former Mississippi State and NBA star Erick Dampier, now an MRA assistant coach – averaged 15.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.4 blocked shots and 1.2 steals and led MRA to a 37-2 record and won the Overall title last season as a sophomore. MRA was ranked No. 2 in Mississippi and No. 85 in the country by MaxPreps. Dampier helped MRA coach Richard Duease – the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history- retire on a winning note after 51 seasons.
Dampier had 27 double doubles and ranked fourth in Mississippi in rebounds per game and eighth in Mississippi in blocked shots per game by MaxPreps this past season. He had career highs of 34 points against Hartfield Academy, 22 rebounds against Choctaw Central and Simpson Academy and eight blocked shots against JA in the Overall championship game. Dampier shot 69.6 percent from the field, second in the country among the top 200 players in field goals made, according to MaxPreps.
Dampier has offers from Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Jackson State, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida State, Purdue, Southern Cal and San Diego State as of Monday. The Alabama, Kentucky, Southern Cal and Florida State offers came during the national tryouts and more are expected soon.
Dampier averaged 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots per game last season as a freshman, the only freshman to make the 20-player Tatum and Wade/MSB Metro Jackson Team two years ago.
Dampier is the son of Erick and Yolanda Dampier. Erick played basketball at Lawrence County and Mississippi State, was on the 1996 Final Four team, 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 played volleyball and basketball at MRA and signed with Southern Miss to play volleyball this fall. She helped MRA win the state volleyball state championship and state and Overall basketball titles this season. Sister Ayanna basketball and volleyball and will be in eighth grade at MRA. Brother Derick plays basketball and will be in fifth grade at MRA. Yolanda’s father, Marvin Brown, is in the Jackson State Hall of Fame for basketball. Dampier’s first cousin is Sam Funches, who played basketball at Germantown and signed with Gonzaga and was a member of the first team on All Metro Jackson team.
