Earning a prominent place in a school’s athletic history is a great accomplishment, no matter the sport or the institution.
But when the sport is basketball and the school is Anderson, being one of the greatest ever is quite the feat, one accomplished by senior Damien King.
After once again leading the area in scoring, King closed out his career as the third ranking all-time leading scorer for the Tribe and has been named the Herald Bulletin’s Boys Basketball Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
King averaged 22.3 points per game this season and easily outdistanced Pendleton Heights junior guard Cooper Sims and Liberty Christian sophomore forward Kendrick Martin for the award.
“Obviously it’s a blessing,” King said. “All the hard work that I’ve put in, being up there and getting this award again, it means a lot.”
King also averaged 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 steals per contest. He shot 31% from three-point range as well as 74% at the free throw line. After the season, he was named to the “Supreme 15” by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, third-team All-State by the Associate Press, and was chosen to take part in the Senior Top-60 Workout by Hoosier Basketball Magazine.
After being named a Junior All-Star last season and, despite all of his other postseason accolades, King was not picked for the Senior Indiana All-Star team that will play against Kentucky later this summer.
It was a snub that drew the ire of most Anderson fans, but it was a decision that King took in stride.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “At the end of the day, a lot of that is political, so I don’t need to put my two cents in. Do I feel like I got snubbed? Maybe, but maybe I could have put in more work too.”
It was another phenomenal season that put the cap on a brilliant career that included a fourth straight Madison County championship for King and the Indians.
Over his four years, King averaged 18 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest while shooting 33% from the 3-point line and 78% overall from the charity stripe. King ended his career with 1,402 points, trailing only a pair of Mr. Basketball Award winners in 1993 graduate Kojak Fuller’s 2,060 points and 1984’s Troy Lewis – a cousin of King - and his 1,966 points.
Knowing where he stands among the great players that have donned the Indians uniform during the rich and storied history of Anderson High School, King is humble and grateful.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” he said. “I did not expect to be third, but I knew I would be somewhere up there. I wish I could have gotten farther, but I’m happy with the results.”
King also fulfilled a long-time goal after the season had ended when he announced that he will continue his academic and basketball careers at the University of Tennessee – Martin, a Division I school that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The 6-foot-5 King expects to play a guard position and plans to study business. He says the interest in King from the Skyhawks came early and was consistent throughout the recruiting process.
“We took some visits, the coaches stayed in contact, came to my games, and showed support, not just for me but for my family,” he said. “It just felt good all around.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.