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SoCalHoops College Recruiting Report

Ruben Douglas Will Have A Busy Summer--(June 15, 1998)

The Los Angeles Times published an interesting piece on Ruben Douglas, formerly (now) of Bell-Jeff in Burbank. Ruben, a 6'-5" point/shooting guard is headed to the University of Arizona in the fall. He's going to have a busy summer. Works out daily. Plays in a league at Pauley with Magic Johnson (isn't he doing a talk show??), and will play in the Just Say No Summer League and the Summer Classic (formerly the IntenseCity) All-Star Classic. He's a busy guy all right.

According to the Times story, "Ruben Douglas has done all one could do at the high school level. Douglas, who was named the CIF Southern Section Division IV MVP last season, finished his high school career at Bellarmine-Jefferson High as the 10th-leading scorer in state history."

But "now it's off to the University of Arizona and a much tougher level of basketball for the 6-foot-5 All-America guard. But before Douglas spends his first night in Tucson in August, he will have spent many summer days and nights playing basketball against some of the top competition around. Douglas, who plans to live on campus with 6'-8" freshman teammate Michael Wright from Chicago, is scheduled to arrive in Tucson on Aug. 19 for freshman orientation. Fall semester classes begin Aug. 25. Under NCAA rules, the first official team practice cannot begin until Oct. 16."

But before Ruben begins at Arizona, he hopes to use the summer wisely. . "When I went to Bell-Jeff, I had goals and endeavors. I didn't know I would achieve what I did," Douglas told the Times. "As a stepping stone, it helped me, but life goes on."

Douglas has been combining tough basketball competition with a rigorous cross-training workout in preparation for next season. The last few days, he has been waking up at 6 a.m. on weekdays to drive to UCLA for a running workout. "I run the stairs and I do the training they tell me," Douglas said of the Arizona coaching staff. "I run a mile and then do some 200's." After the first part of the workout is complete, Douglas walks over to the men's gymnasium on the Westwood campus, where he plays in the pick-up games with Magic Johnson, University of Kansas star Paul Pierce and L.A. Clippers guard Darrick Martin.

Douglas was invited to play in the league by Johnson, whom he met more than two months ago while receiving the John Wooden Award --given annually to a star scholar-athlete. "I figure if I play there with this kind of competition, it won't be much of a surprise when I get to college," said Douglas, who has been getting one-on-one shooting instruction from former NBA guard Connor Henry. The 18-year-old future Wildcat said he has been thrilled just to get the opportunity to be around such company, let alone be allowed to play with them. "There's like 30 guys and only like 20 play," he said. "You have to be in a rotation."

Beginning Friday, Douglas will add some more basketball to his agenda. He is scheduled to begin participating in the Say No Classic at L.A. Trade Tech College, which is a summer league designed for collegiate and NBA players. Douglas said he will play on a team with 1997 NCAA Final Four MVP Miles Simon, whom he is scheduled to replace at shooting guard for Arizona.

He is also scheduled to play in the sixth annual Summer All-Star Classic game on June 28 at Santa Ana College. The game will feature the top graduating high school seniors in the state. "In all the all-star games I've played in I've lost, so I'll try to win this one," Douglas said.

Arizona assistant coach Rodney Tention said that the Wildcat coaching staff recommends to its recruits to play and work out as much as they feel necessary. "We'd like all our kids to get on the weights," Tention told the Times. "It's a different level physically. They can't sit around and come in out of shape. If they get in a league with some strong competition, that's good."

Tention also told the Times that how much Douglas improves this summer will depend on how much of a factor he will be for the Wildcats next season. "Everything will depend on his progress," Tention said. "He's going to have to work for it. As long as Ruben Douglas enjoys competition, he'll enjoy being here."

Bellarmine-Jefferson High coach Eli Essa said Douglas' challenging himself doesn't come as a surprise. "Ruben has always been on track and intact," Essa told the Times. "Ultimately, this will pay off in college and beyond. Knowing Ruben, he'll take it one step, one day, one year at a time."