NYC’s Top Ten HS Ballers: Student-Athlete Amerie Santana

by Sebastian Castro

Amerie Santana is one of New York City’s Top Ten High School Ballers. Amerie is a born-and-raised Brooklyn local attending Summit Academy, where she plays on the varsity basketball team, the Summit Academy Eagles. Standing 5’4” at 16 years old, Amerie shattered expectations when she reached the scoring benchmark of 1,000 points this season as a sophomore. This year, she averaged 17.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

Despite her commitment to the team, Amerie is still able to balance sports with academics. She’s a part of the National Honor Society, recognized for her myriad outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, and leadership. According to Amerie, her school played a big part in helping her realize her full potential as a student.

“I always have that support in school to manage both basketball and academics at the same time,” Amerie said.

She is able to take advantage of office hours and tutelage during her free periods to stay up to date on classwork. Despite all of her commitments, Amerie still finds time to volunteer in her school’s food pantry twice per week.

Greg Wilson, her stepfather, expressed his gratitude to Summit Academy for enabling her academic success. According to him, their whole family is very adamant about school coming first and prioritizing her learning, even above basketball.

“The school provides a really good environment for her to really be successful,” Greg said.

According to Greg, it’s this selflessness that makes her a good player.

“She looks to help people in need,” Greg said. “Being selfless, that mentality carries very well on and off the court. I think it’s her most important character trait.”

Greg first saw his stepdaughter play in her freshman year and was blown away by her talent.

“She loves the game,” Greg said. “She has a talent for it.”

Danielle Wilson, Amerie’s mother, remembers being shocked at seeing her daughter score a three-pointer in a middle school game.

“I didn’t know she could really play like that,” Danielle said.

Danielle emphasized her daughter’s passion when she played, even at a young age.

Amerie’s memory takes her even further back, all the way to second grade in the schoolyard during lunch.

“I picked up the basketball and ever since then, I’ve never put it down,” Amerie said.

As she grew, so did her skills. Before she entered her junior year, Amerie was already in talks with schools for potential spots on their teams. She has visited the NCAA Division 1 Wagner College to be shown around by the coach and meet the players, but according to her and her family, they are keeping the future open. One of her goals is to eventually play for the Puerto Rican National Team.

Despite not knowing where she wants to play, Amerie knows she wants to play in college, then professionally.

“She wants to do that, and we support her in everything she wants to do,” Greg said.

He acknowledged the work it was going to take for her to make it to that level but was confident in Amerie’s abilities and expressed optimism for her future as a player.

Amerie’s basketball hero is NBA superstar Steph Curry. Not only does she look up to him as a player, she and those around her see the similarities between their playing styles. Amerie called out her behind-the-back ball-handling in particular.

At her core, Amerie identifies as a New Yorker. According to her stepfather, “Her entire swag, on and off the court, is so New York. It’s different, she stands out, she plays with a confidence and a bounce in her step that is very New York.”

Amerie is proud of her hometown and thinks that it’ll give her the edge she needs over the competition.

“A lot of the greatest basketball players come from down here, and I’m gonna be one of them,” Amerie said.