Stoneman Douglas’ Damerius Summers is Broward’s 7A-5A Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year
Damerius Summers knew he’d have to take on more of a leadership role both on and off the court when he transferred to Stoneman Douglas High for his senior season.
Already an accomplished player at rival Deerfield Beach, Summers was up to the challenge.
Summers, a 6-7 forward, put together a stellar senior season which resulted in the Eagles making their first regional playoff appearance in four years.
He averaged 18 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, becoming a dominant force at both ends of the floor.
For those reasons, Summers is the Miami Herald’s Class 7A-5A Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year for Broward County.
“It means a lot to me coming from another school as a leader on and off the court and shows a lot about my characteristics on and off the court,” Summers said. “I had to take more of a leadership role and I knew what had to be done on and off the court.”
Summers didn’t take long to feel at home at Stoneman Douglas both in the classroom and on the basketball court as well.
“I got used to it pretty quick and the environment was awesome,” Summers said. “There were a lot of guys I knew here so that made it easy.”
Summers was the missing piece for the Douglas’ program to elevate its status.
In a year where there was a lot of parity among Broward schools, Douglas earned a spot in the BCAA Big 8 tournament and hoped to move past the regional quarterfinal round for the first time since 2015.
Unfortunately for the Eagles and ironically for Summers, a 42-40 loss to Deerfield Beach denied them that opportunity.
Still, Summers said he felt the season was beneficial overall for his game.
“I feel like I improved in my work ethic,” Summers said. “I got better at my shooting, defending, rebounding and really learning how to finish better on contact. It was just putting in the work. Making sure I can get to the rim with ease and just have someone there to get used to having that experience in games and that paid off.”
