Let there be no doubt. David Douglas Jr. can shoot the ball.
Whether he’s out beyond the 3-point line, driving to the basket or anywhere in between, the 6-foot-5 senior guard can score in bunches for Yorkville Christian.
Douglas proved it last season, averaging 10.2 points as the Mustangs rolled to the Class 1A state championship. That total ranked fourth on the high-scoring team.
Besides Douglas, Duke recruit Jaden Schutt averaged 27 points last season for Yorkville Christian, followed by K.J. Vasser at 16.4 points and Tyler Burrows at 11.1.
At the same time as the Mustangs were playing in the state finals, Douglas won the Class 1A 3-point contest that has since been discontinued for this season.
“It’s unfortunate,” Douglas said of the state’s 3-point contest. “It was really a great experience, and I wanted to defend that title.”
How did he get so good?
“My dad taught me how to shoot from a young age, and just constant hours practicing in the gym, before school or after practice,” Douglas said. “Just putting in reps after reps after reps and seeing the work pay off.”
It continues this season as Douglas has taken his scoring to another level for the Mustangs (2-11), who are a much different team thanks to heavy graduation losses and transfers.
Yorkville Christian took some lumps last season, too, finishing 25-13 thanks to a schedule heavily loaded with bigger Class 3A and 4A schools.
The schedule is again tough, but Douglas is the lone experienced returnee. Trey Lombardo, a 6-4 senior, saw very limited varsity time last season.
Seniors Jalen Aalders and Abram Fields are making their varsity debuts. They’re joined by sophomores Brady Sovern and Zach Marini on coach Aaron Sovern’s short bench.
Douglas, who entered the week averaging 33 points, scored 35 points in Monday’s 87-64 loss to Normal West. He then had 43 in Wednesday’s 75-69 overtime loss to Putnam County, a team Yorkville Christian beat last season in the sectional.
Equally adept at guard or forward, the production from Douglas is much needed but also creates a dilemma for Sovern.
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He would like to ease his star player’s workload, but as this week’s totals show, it’s easier said than done.
“He’s a player,” Sovern said of Douglas. “We just have to work to get him more open shots because he’s having to work hard to get everything he gets.”
Those drives to the basket resulted in Douglas averaging 20 free throws during a recent four-game stretch.
“We’ve been trying to play offensively through Trey (Lombardo) a little bit more to take some of the pressure off ‘DJ’ (Douglas) and try to get him more open looks off the ball,” Sovern said. “We’ve shown flashes, which is good, because he can’t keep carrying that load. He just can’t.
“We’ve gotta have our other guys stepping up, but DJ is our only experienced guy. It is this group’s first time playing together and the first time getting big minutes for almost all of them.”
Meanwhile, Douglas also thinks about his future. Recruiting interest continues to grow for a player with impressive academic numbers that include a 4.0 GPA.
Ivy League schools Cornell and Princeton have been out to see Douglas practice. Army is interested, as are a large number of NCAA Division II and III schools and growing Division I programs.
“There’s some real good schools, but he’s a Division I player, there’s no doubt about it,” Sovern said. “It’s just a matter of getting the portal transfer nonsense and COVID settled.
“He’s going to find the right spot. He has to keep playing and doing what he’s doing. He’ll be fine.”
Sovern hopes the same will be true for his team as it gains experience.
“The goal isn’t to be good right now,” Sovern said. “It’s to be ready to go in February for the playoffs.”