John Douglas (basketball)

Last updated

John Douglas
Personal information
Born (1956-06-12) June 12, 1956 (age 67)
Town Creek, Alabama
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolColbert County (Leighton, Alabama)
College
NBA draft 1978: 6th round, 118th overall pick
Selected by the New Orleans Jazz
Playing career1980–1990
Position Point guard
Number13
Career history
1980–1981 Montana Golden Nuggets
1981–1982 San Diego Clippers
1982–1983 Montana Golden Nuggets
1983–1987 Fortitudo Bologna
1987–1988 Reims
1990 Virtus Bologna
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

John David Douglas (born June 12, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the San Diego Clippers.

Contents

Amateur career

A 6'2" (1.88 m) guard from Leighton, Alabama, Douglas played basketball at Colbert County High School, two years behind his brother Leon Douglas, who would also play in the NBA. Douglas stayed local initially for his collegiate career, playing basketball at Calhoun Community College where his freshman season saw the Warhawks go 27–3, earning a #3 national ranking. After two excellent seasons at Calhoun, where he still holds numerous scoring records, [1] Douglas transferred to John transferred to the University of Kansas, scoring 19.2 ppg in his first season in Lawrence. His senior year saw his scoring drop-off (12.7 ppg) on a deeper Kansas squad with two other future NBA players in Darnell Valentine and Paul Mokeski, as Kansas advanced to the 1978 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, losing in the opening round 83–76 to UCLA. [2] [3] [4] [5]

A college highlight for Douglas was his 46 points on the road against Iowa State on February 16, 1977, when he broke the legendary Wilt Chamberlain's record for most points scored by a visiting player in the Big Eight Conference. At Kansas, John earned All Big Eight honors, Honorable Mention All American, Newcomer of the Year and a team MVP for the Jayhawks. [6]

Professional career

Douglas was drafted in the 7th round (118 over pick) by the New Orleans Jazz in the 1978 NBA draft. [7] He was waived by the Jazz in the pre-season and played for the Utah Prospectors of the Western Basketball Association in the 1978–79 season. [8] The WBA would fold at the end of the season. [9] [10] Douglas would then spend two seasons in the CBA with the Montana Golden Nuggets, and played for the championship in 1981 (losing to the Rochester Zeniths 4–0) under head coach George Karl, as Douglas averaged a team high 22.8 ppg. [11] [12] He tried out for the Kansas City Kings in the 1980 pre-season, but was released in training camp. [13]

Proving third times a charm, another NBA pre-season audition in 1981 produced the desired result as Douglas made the roster for the San Diego Clippers. He would spend the 1981-82 San Diego Clippers season with the team, averaging 7.0 ppg, 2.3 apg, in 16.1 mpg played in 64 games. He would make the team again for the 1982-83 San Diego season, but was cut after 3 games, bringing his NBA career to a close. In total, he averaged 6.7 ppg and 2.2 apg in the NBA. [13] Douglas would return to Montana and the CBA to finish the season, averaging 22.3 ppg as the team returned again to the CBA championship game, losing to the Detroit Spirits 4–3. [14]

Montana folded the CBA team in 1983, and Douglas then pursued overseas opportunities, heading to Serie A in Italy, with Fortitudo Bologna (1983–87), playing with his brother Leon for three years, and then to Reims in France and LNB Pro A for two season (1987–1989), averaging 24.9 ppg and then 24.8 ppg in his two seasons. Douglas would return briefly to Italy finish his professional career with Virtus Bologna in 1990 before retiring. [11] [15]

Coaching career

Douglas returned to Alabama and began his coaching career as an assistant at Calhoun Community College, and was promoted to head coach in 1995. Calhoun advanced to the 2000 NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game, losing to Southeastern Community College 84–70. A three-time Coach of the Year winner, Coach Douglas was selected to be an assistant coach with the gold medal-winning 2000 United States men's Olympic basketball team. [1] [16]

He left Calhoun to become the head coach and athletic director at Lawson State Community College in 2003, [6] and in 2009 became the head coach at Fort Valley State University, a HBCU in Georgia, and was dismissed after two seasons, going 17–40. [17] [18] John then joined his brother Leon, serving as an assistant coach for his brother, first at Tuskegee University and then at Miles College. [19]

Personal life

John was inducted into the Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 [16] and currently lives in Auburn, Alabama with his wife, Xenia and their two kids, Xsuela and GianMarco.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chauncey Billups</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1976)

Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. He was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff McInnis</span> American basketball player

Jeff Lemans McInnis is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in Greece and in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raef LaFrentz</span> American basketball player

Raef Andrew LaFrentz is an American former professional basketball power forward and center who played for the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, and Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born and raised in Iowa, LaFrentz attended the University of Kansas and was drafted in 1998 by the Denver Nuggets. He was known for his perimeter shooting and his shot blocking abilities. In 2019–20 LaFrentz became an assistant basketball coach at Decorah High School in Decorah, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrick Martin</span> American basketball player

Darrick David Martin is an American basketball coach, most recently head coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. He played basketball for more than a decade, shuttling between the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA. In 2003, he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters. He then went on to play for the Los Angeles Lightning of the Independent Basketball Association (IBL). He was named the head coach of Reno in June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Brown (basketball, born 1950)</span> American sportsperson and basketball player (1950–2023)

Walter Roger Brown was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Randall (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1967)

Mark Christopher Randall is an American former professional basketball player who played in four National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Denver Nuggets. Randall was selected by the Bulls in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft and averaged 2.6 points per game for his career.

Kenneth Henry Fields is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft. A 6'5" guard-forward from UCLA, Fields played in 4 seasons in the NBA from 1984 to 1988. He played for the Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. His best year as a pro came during the 1986–87 season when he split time with the Bucks and Clippers, appearing in 48 games and averaging 8.2 ppg. Fields also played parts of two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association with three teams.

Timothy Joseph Kempton is a retired American professional basketball who played the power forward and center positions. Born in Jamaica, New York, he played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before having a 14-year professional career, playing 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in addition to seasons in Italy, France, Spain, and Turkey. He was selected in the 6th round of the 1986 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Sanders (basketball)</span> American retired professional basketball player

Michael Anthony Sanders is an American retired professional basketball player who played primarily as a small forward. He was drafted by the Kansas City Kings in the 4th round and was the 74th overall pick in the1982 NBA Draft. He is a former assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to being an assistant coach for Tyrone Corbin, Sanders was the team's director of player development.

Kurt Nimphius is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nimphius played nine seasons in the NBA after his collegiate career at Arizona State University.

Orlando Carl Nicks is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player.

Eric Money is an American former professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Wesley</span> American basketball player (1945–2024)

Walter Ivory Wesley was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Leon Douglas is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before transitioning to an extensive professional career overseas in Europe. After retiring, Douglas went into coaching, leading several HBCU programs in his home state of Alabama in his career.

Kurtis Townsend is an American basketball coach who is an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Townsend was an assistant on the Jayhawks 2007–08 and 2021-22 NCAA national championship team.

Leonard White is an American former professional basketball player. He is listed at 6'7" and weighed 224 lbs. Born in Century, Florida, White started playing collegiate ball with the Faulkner State Community College (1989–1991) and is still the all-time leading scorer of the Sun Chiefs with a 22.7 ppg average. He later transferred to Southern University (1991–1993) and led the Jaguars in scoring his last two years there. White entered the 1993 NBA draft and was picked 53rd in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers; however, he was not signed and never got to play in the NBA. He played a few games in the French professional league in Pau Orthez but it is in the CBA where White will be making his mark in his professional basketball career as one of the league leaders in statistics for games played, minutes played, scoring, rebounds and steals. White has played for the San Diego Wildcards, Grand Rapids Hoops, Rockford Lightning, Sioux Falls Skyforce and Yakama Sun Kings, where he helped them win back-to-back CBA championships. He has also taken his game to the USBL with the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, the IBL with the Tacoma Jazz and overseas notably in Venezuela. In the off-season, White coaches high school basketball in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Robinson (basketball)</span> American Lebanese basketball player

Thomas Earl Robinson is an American-born naturalised Lebanese professional basketball player for Pelita Jaya Bakrie of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). A consensus All-American at the University of Kansas, Robinson was drafted fifth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Thompson</span> American basketball player and coach

Calvin Thompson is an American basketball coach and a member of the University of Kansas' 1986 Final Four team. He holds Kansas' record for most consecutive free throws made at 33 in 1983–84, made second-team All-Big Eight in 1983 and 1984, and the All-Big Eight Tournament team 1983 and 1984. He was also a member of the 1986 All-NCAA Midwest Regional team.

References

  1. 1 2 "John Douglas - Men's Basketball Coach". Miles College Athletics.
  2. ↑ "UCLA vs. Kansas Box Score, March 11, 1978". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  3. ↑ "John Douglas". Kansas Jayhawks. July 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "1977-78 Kansas Jayhawks Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "John Douglas College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  6. 1 2 "JOHN DOUGLAS". www.hoopszone.net.
  7. ↑ "1978 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ "Utah Prospectors". March 17, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Western Basketball Association". www.apbr.org.
  10. ↑ "Utah Prospectors". nbahoopsonline.com.
  11. 1 2 "EBA-John Douglas". www.nasljerseys.com.
  12. ↑ "1980-81 Montana Golden Nuggets minor league basketball Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. 1 2 "John Douglas Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  14. ↑ "1982-83 Montana Golden Nuggets minor league basketball Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  15. ↑ "John Douglas, Basketball Player". Proballers.
  16. 1 2 "John Douglas". ccsportshof.
  17. ↑ "Onnidan News: Fort Valley State to introduce New Men's Basketball Coach at Press Conference Thursday".
  18. ↑ "Fort Valley State University Men's Basketball Coach Relieved of Duties".
  19. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-douglas-7ba16867/ [ self-published source ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.