Joining us for the 2nd time in the past month is one of the hottest names in the NCAA as of late, Rutgers combo guard
Quincy Douby.
Douby went on the road and shattered the record for points scored in the Carrier Dome by putting up a career high 41 points in 43 minutes. His team came heartbreakingly close to knocking off Syracuse, but a miracle three-pointer by
Terrence Roberts in overtime at the buzzer eventually saw them leave with a narrow 2 point defeat.
Quincy Douby was as good as anybody I've ever seen in here since this building's been open," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "We were pushing up on him, man-to-man and zone, trying to do anything we could to get him to just miss a little bit."
Douby was nothing short of amazing down the stretch, knocking down three-pointer after three-pointer from deep range despite Syracuses intense defense and doing a great job of mixing up his scoring with his passing and defense, something that wasnt always the case in his three year career at Rutgers so far. His shot selection was much better than usual, and we are seeing less and less of the immaturity and me-first attitude that has made us so hesitant to call him a legit top notch prospect despite being the best scorer in easily the best conference in America. Douby has now scored in double figures in every single game this year and has reached 20 points or more in 15 of his last 19 games. Rutgers looks like an extreme longshot to make the NCAA tournament at this point, but people are starting to notice just how good of a player Douby is and how impressive it is to see him accomplish what he is despite the double teams and the competition level he is going up against.
Were talking about one of the better athletes the Big East has to offer. Not only does he have excellent quickness and an explosive first step, he also changes gears like a true pro, doing a great job keeping his defender off-balance, going left or right and always making you wonder which direction he is going to contort his body in next. Doubys excellent footwork helps him out tremendously in this area, making him one of the best shot creating guards in the entire country if hes being defended straight up. His ball-handling shows a lot of potential, one of the areas he has made the biggest strides in over the past year. Douby doesnt just have the potential to be a great slasher, though, he is one already, being more than willing to take the ball strong to the hoop and finish amongst the trees even with plenty of contact.
Thats not where his offensive game ends, as Douby is also one of the best 3-point shooters in the Big East despite the attention he draws from opposing teams. He shoots nearly 40% from behind the 3-point arc, and can score both off the dribble with a hand in his face or off the catch and shoot showing a lightning quick release.
If his extremely polished offensive game isnt quite enough to convince you that he is a legit draft prospect, the work he does on the other end of the ball probably should. Douby is an able and willing defender who has no problem getting low in an aggressive defensive stance and getting right in his mans chest. He has quick hands and comes up with a good amount of steals thanks to his quickness and length.
After reading all this you might wonder why Douby isnt placed firmly in the top-20 of our 2006 mock draft. And while its possible that he ends up there, there are just too many glaring weaknesses to his game that are almost impossible to ignore. First would be his position in the NBA. At 6-3, he will probably need to play at least a little bit of point guard, but when he played that position last year, the results were disastrous for his team, winning just 3 games in the entire Big East slate. He is clearly much more comfortable coming off the ball and focusing on his scoring. His negative assist to turnover ratio this year does not exactly dispute that. Second would be some baggage that has been a constant distraction both on and off the court. According to most accounts, Douby has too many people around him who arent exactly looking out for his best interests. His basketball IQ looks questionable at times, and some NBA types already wonder just how coachable he is. His body language can be extremely poor at times, clapping incessantly at his teammates when they have the nerve to refuse to pass him the ball and clear out the floor, killing the ball-movement of his team and overdribbling, getting frustrated easily and generally showing a poor attitude. Third would be his teams record, sitting at just 3-6 in the Big East and being dangerously close to missing the conference tournament if his team doesnt pick up some big wins in the next few weeks. There is no doubt that he is capable of putting up huge numbers on a fairly bad team, but can he do it without dominating the ball with more talented teammates around him?
With that said, there is a place in the NBA for a player in Doubys mold. He is your classic off the bench energy type to come on the floor and erupt for points while providing solid defense for his teams 2nd unit. His trash-talking NYC swagger will find its fans in NBA circle, and hes shown a better maturity level as the season moves on. His feel for the game is good despite only playing organized basketball for the last 5-6 years, being able to find the open man when he wants and showing a lot of passion and fire to his game. Even though he is saying all the right things right now (and everyone always does at this point in the year), I dont think anyone would be surprised to see his name on the early-entry list come May.
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