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03/16/2022 12:00 AMDamaria Williams-Davis was thrown into significant varsity role with the North Haven girls’ basketball team as a sophomore this year. Damaria never let the pressure faze her while taking on more responsibility with the Nighthawks and wound up finishing the season as one of the most reliable players on their roster.
Damaria started playing basketball for North Haven’s town league in 3rd grade. Growing up, Damaria would shoot hoops with her uncle Alexander whenever she was at his house. When the two played 1-on-1, it made Damaria want to be a better player. So, when she started competing on the court, Damaria’s passion for the game was already in place.
“We would play 1-on-1. It was really fun,” says Damaria. “Playing with him helped me realize I could be a better basketball player. When I stepped on the court, basketball clicked really quickly.”
Damaria continued playing at the rec level in North Haven through 8th grade. She also started playing travel basketball in town as a 5th-grader and then joined the Savin Rock Ballerz on the AAU circuit two years later. Damaria wanted to maximize her potential on the court and knew that the more she was involved, the more she would improve.
As a freshman, Damaria primarily competed at the JV level for the North Haven girls’ basketball team, while also seeing some varsity time. It was quite a challenge for Damaria to go up against older athletes, but the experience motivated her to get better and prove that she belonged on the varsity squad.
Damaria got that opportunity when she was named the Nighthawks’ starting varsity center at the beginning of her sophomore year. Damaria was excited to be in the lineup when North Haven faced Amistad in its first game of the season. By the end of the season, Damaria was fearless on the court.
“Freshman year, I was nervous. It was my first year. I didn’t know what to expect,” Damaria says. “I’ve been getting better. I feel more normal on the court now. I’m not scared at all.”
Damaria led the Nighthawks in rebounds by averaging 8.7 per game this year, including 5 per night on the offensive side of the glass. Along with her work on the boards, Damaria had to take on other roles due to injuries to some of her teammates. As the season went on, she became more of a leader. Damaria made sure that she helped the younger players on the team learn how to succeed at the varsity level as she was grabbing rebounds and scoring points for North Haven.
“Since a few of our players were injured, I knew I had to step up and be a role model,” says Damaria. “I knew I had to help the freshman learn what they needed to do once they got in the game.”
When those injuries occurred, Head Coach Tom Blake moved Damaria from center to the wing in order to give the sophomore more opportunities to drive with the ball. Coach Blake was pleased with how Damaria contributed for the Nighthawks in all aspects of the game this winter.
“Damaria is tremendously coachable. She has worked herself into becoming a starting varsity player. She had the maturity of a junior or senior. She had a great sophomore year,” Blake says. “Damaria has a nose for being where the ball is and knows how to score down low. She understands the game and plays hard.”
While she’s only played basketball thus far at the high school, Damaria is planning to join the North Haven girls’ outdoor track team in the spring. Damaria feels eager for the opportunity to compete and will be striving to come back faster and stronger with the basketball team next season.
Damaria has made a name for himself with the Nighthawks throughout the past two years. Looking ahead to the next two, Damaria wants to keep growing alongside her teammates as try to help North Haven girls’ hoops reach new heights.
“It has been amazing playing with them. I think the next two seasons are going to go really well. We’re only going to be communicating more,” says Damaria. “It’s great just being on the team and playing with great friends.”