Former Greenbrier East Lady Spartan basketball player Amya Damon was on her way to a historic career for her former head coach, current West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, but after a second-team all-state sophomore season in Fairlea, she decided it was time to try something new and move on to bigger — although not literally — and greener pastures.
Damon is now a star for Huntington Saint Joseph (Joe) after a stellar first season that saw her make the all-state first team after averaging 21.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
She was able to mesh with her new coach Shannon Lewis and hit the court running.
A lot of Huntington St Joe players from the previous season had transferred and another enrolled in college early. That left Damon and just a few others to pick up the slack and that is exactly what the senior-to-be did as evidenced by her big numbers on the season. St Joseph lost in the regional co-finals to Logan, 51-43 in their final contest.
While the Spartans miss her scoring prowess, rebounding and in-your-face defense, Damon said it was in her best interest at the time to take her talents somewhere else.
“I needed change. I felt like St. Joseph was a better choice both academically and athletically. I just think that it provided me with more opportunities,” Damon said.
Damon, who has been playing basketball for “as long as she can remember,” said the difference between the two schools was definitely an eye-opener, but it was a positive move for her then and continues to be now.
“Honestly, there isn’t much that is similar. I went from having 150 people in my grade to 20 people and it was a big change. The schools are different because East is a much bigger (public) school with less one-on-one, with St. Joseph being a much smaller (private) school. The opportunities for learning are much higher,” Damon said.
“As far as basketball, I had some personal issues with the basketball program at East and St. Joseph was a nationally ranked team at the time, so I felt that it provided me with more looks. With Covid standing in the way of that, we only had seven players this past year. We made the best out of it and we actually had a good season,” Damon continued.
Even though arriving at a new school can be tough, Damon took some things she learned as a Spartan and transferred those traits to Huntington as well.
“I was just told to play basketball, don’t run through the plays if they aren’t working and don’t force it. So, this past season, I just played my game and it paid off,” Damon explained.
When asked what she hopes to accomplish this winter when she is back on the court, Damon narrowed it down to not only some basic and relevant goals but also memorable ones as well.
“I want to make first-team all-state again and I hope to make it far in the state tournament. I want my last high school season to be one to remember,” she said.
Damon will have multiple colleges knocking on her door and sending her letters this year, but as of now, she is undecided where she will be going to school next fall. She will major in biology once she gets to that school of choice.
Damon is the daughter of Monica Mann and Steven Damon.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.