Bruce Douglas (basketball)

Bruce Douglas (born April 9, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he played varsity basketball for Quincy Senior High School four years, and was a four-year starter at the University of Illinois. He also briefly played professionally with the Sacramento Kings and in the CBA.

Bruce Douglas
Personal information
Born (1964-04-09) April 9, 1964
Quincy, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolQuincy Senior (Quincy, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois (1982–1986)
NBA draft1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 57th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
PositionGuard
Number42
Career history
1986Sacramento Kings
1986–1987Rockford Lightning
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school

Douglas played on the varsity basketball team at Quincy High School all four years he was in school. During his freshman year, he came off the bench, playing meaningful minutes for the team that finished second in the state with a 32-1 record. He started his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons, and led the Blue Devils to their most successful seasons in the history of the program. He led the team in scoring his sophomore year with 19.4 points per game. His junior year, the Blue Devils went undefeated, won the state championship, and were named national champions. He was named to both all-state and All-America teams, while leading the team in assists. Douglas nearly led the team to another undefeated season his senior year. The team finally lost the 1982 semifinal game, after a then-state record 64-game winning streak. The team ended up with a third-place trophy, Douglas's third top-four state finish in his four years. He was once again named to all-state teams, and was a Parade Magazine all-American. He was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois in 1982. He finished among the leaders in every statistical category at Quincy High school. He holds the record for points scored (2,040) and field goals made (890), and is second in rebounds (709) and assists (643). He amassed an amazing 123-5 win-loss record during his four years at QHS. Out of high school, he was recruited to play for Lou Henson at the University of Illinois. In 2007, Douglas was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament," recognizing his superior performance in his appearances in the tournament.[1]

College

Douglas started all four years he played at the University of Illinois. He ran the show at point guard to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. In the 1983-84 season, the Illini won the Big Ten championship, and went to the elite eight. The team came just short of its first final four since 1952, losing a controversial game to the University of Kentucky, which was played in Rupp Arena. Douglas finished a successful career with Illinois, ending up a leader in many statistical categories. As of 2019, Douglas is 27th on the list of Illinois leading scorers with 1261 points. His record for most minutes played was surpassed by Dee Brown in 2006. He still holds the Illini record for career steals (324) and assists (765).[2] He earned first-team All Big Ten honors in 1984, second-team in '85 and '86, and honorable mention in '83. He was a third-team all-American in 1984, and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and '86. In October 2004, Douglas was named to the Illinois All-Century Team. Illinois fans voted him as one of the 20 best Fighting Illini basketball players in the 100-year history of the program.[3]

Professional

Out of college, Douglas was selected in the third round of the 1986 NBA draft, going to the Sacramento Kings. He played one season with the Kings, then went to play for a short time in the CBA. After leaving the CBA, he pursued a career in business, and he now resides in the Chicago area.

Douglas returned to Blue Devil Gym on January 6, 2007 during the first Quincy High School/Quincy Notre Dame High School boys basketball game since 1971. He was one of the honorees to sign the Illinois High School Association's Hall of Fame ball, along with another former Quincy High player, Bruce Brothers.

Douglas returns to Quincy annually to run his free 'Shooting for Christ' Basketball Camp in conjunction with the Salvation Army's Ray & Joan Kroc Community Center.

Honors

High school
  • 1988 - Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.[4]

College
  • 1983 - Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
  • 1984 - Team Co-MVP
  • 1984 - 1st Team All-Big Ten
  • 1984 - NCAA All-Regional Team
  • 1985 - 2nd Team All-Big Ten
  • 1985 - Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
  • 1986 - Team Captain[6]
  • 1986 - 2nd Team All-Big Ten
  • 1986 - Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
  • 2008 - Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys which hang in the State Farm Center to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.

College statistics

University of Illinois
Season Games Points PPG Field Goals Attempts Avg Free Throws Attempts Avg Rebounds Avg Assists APG Steals SPG
1982–83
32
301
9.4
118
257
.459
64
89
.719
87
2.7
189
5.9
78
2.4
1983–84
31
399
12.9
159
337
.472
81
109
.743
136
4.4
177
5.7
73
2.4
1984–85
35
784
7.9
118
307
.384
42
57
.737
107
3.1
200
5.7
85
2.4
1985–86
32
283
8.8
118
248
.476
47
60
.783
88
2.8
199
6.2
88
2.8
Totals
130
1261
9.7
513
1149
.446
234
315
.743
418
3.2
765*
5.9
324*
2.5

* All-time leader in University of Illinois history[7]

[8]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1986–87 Kansas City 8112.3.292.000.0001.82.11.10.01.8
Career 8112.3.292.000.0001.82.11.10.01.8
gollark: Except undifferentiated generic bread: 🍞 🥖 🫓 🥙
gollark: No. We do not have baked goods here.
gollark: Greetings.
gollark: >call 03018457869
gollark: Oops.

References
  1. IHSA - Legends of Boys Basketball
  2. Fightingillini.Com // The Official Site Of University Of Illinois Athletics Archived March 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Fightingillini.Com // The Official Site Of University Of Illinois Athletics". Archived from the original on 2006-03-21. Retrieved 2006-03-21.
  4. IBCA Hall of Fame
  5. 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament
  6. FightingIllini.com
  7. FightingIllini.com
  8. Sports-Reference.com
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Walter Downing		 Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
1982		 Succeeded by
Marty Simmons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.