When the contact period began at midnight on June 15, Erick Dampier Jr. wasn’t sure who was going to call. Kentucky had been at plenty of his games throughout the spring, and his father had his own battles on the court with Mark Pope back in the day.

“I was really excited. I didn’t really know what to expect,” Dampier told KSR on Monday. “At first, I thought I wasn’t going to get anything. Throughout the whole night, I didn’t get anything, but then I’ve been getting offers today.”

One of those offers was from Kentucky. It was head coach Mark Pope who made the call.

“When I found out it was Kentucky, I was like, yeah,” Dampier said. “I was excited.”

A History With Bigs

In Mark Pope’s two years at Kentucky so far, he’s shown that he can develop bigs. That’s been his pitch to Erick Dampier Jr. since the recruitment started.

“In the last three years, they’ve had three bigs to come out and go to the NBA before me,” Dampier said. “It’s Jayden Quaintance, Malachi Moreno, and Amari Williams. He said they were all passing bigs, and that I could be the next big here.”

During the Nike EYBL live period session in Memphis in May, Pope was at most of Dampier’s games. He got a good sense of who he is as a player.

“[Pope] said he liked my style of basketball, and he said I play relentlessly,” Dampier said. “He likes how I can pass the ball, play in transition, and dribble. That’s a really big thing for me. He says that could separate me and help me in the long run.”

A Busy Monday

Erick Dampier’s Monday got very busy with college coaches calling. He’s heard from the likes of USC, Florida State, and Louisville, among others.

“It’s exciting that all the work I’ve put in shows and is starting to pay off,” Dampier said. “It makes you feel good about yourself, and it makes you want to be better and work harder. It gives me motivation.”

Dampier said he’s looking for a program that wins. That’s his main focus.

“The main thing is a national championship. Everyone knows that. Everyone wants a national championship, but not everybody gets one,” Dampier said. “I want the best chance to get one. Every college has a good coach, so that’s irrelevant, but that too. Good chemistry. When I get there, I want it to be smooth. I don’t want to make a major change. I want it to feel like home.”

His dad has also provided advice throughout the process. Erick Dampier Sr. played at Mississippi State from 1993-96 before an NBA career spanning from 1996-2012.

“He’s told me just to be patient because this is the start of it,” Dampier said. “Basically, just keep going, be yourself, fight through adversity, and do the simple things. The simple things are what take you a long way.”

Erick Dampier Jr.’s Game

Madison-Ridgeland (Mississippi) Academy five-star center Erick Dampier Jr. is the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services. Rivals ranks Dampier as the No. 2 center and the No. 4 overall player in the 2028 class.

“My greatest strengths are being able to play on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, being able to pass the ball, being a big defensive threat, and just being a threat on the court,” Dampier said.

Dampier doesn’t turn 17-years-old until October. He said he “probably won’t” reclass into 2027.

“A lot of people don’t know that I’m actually young for my class,” Dampier said. “A lot of people assume that if you’re good, you’re older because that’s what it usually is. I’m actually the right age. It’s probably that or the work I put in. I work a lot.”