Douglas Is Poised to Break Assist Record

Sherman Douglas has never needed a holiday to practice his stylized version of the philosophy that it’s better to give than receive.

Maybe that’s why the Syracuse senior point guard is about to set college basketball’s all-time assist record.

“You can’t be a point guard and be selfish. It just doesn’t go,” said Douglas, who has 872 assists, 22 shy of the NCAA record of 894 set by Northeastern’s Andre LaFleur, who played between 1983 and 1987.

“The worst thing you can do at the point is be selfish. Your team would never win,” said the 22-year-old Washington, D.C., native, who is nicknamed the “General.”

Winning is the essence of playing for Douglas, who has spent his career passing out glory to other players so his team could prosper.

With his steady career at Syracuse coming to an end, some of that glory is finding its way back to Douglas, who also will likely set the school record for steals and pass NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Bing as the most prolific scorer in Syracuse history.

“He’s had an amazing career,” said Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim.

The only player ever to leave a deeper mark on the Syracuse program, according to the coach, was Bing, who played in the same backcourt with Boeheim.

“Bing was a one-of-a-kind player because he could do so much. Sherman’s like that, too. He plays both ends of the court. He’s inside and he’s outside. He’s the greatest passer I’ve ever seen,” said Boeheim.

“It’s obvious, that when the General is out there, he makes them a great team,” said St. John’s Coach Lou Carnesecca, who admits to being a Douglas fan as long as the Redmen are on a different court. “He’s quite a player.”

Douglas is currently third in the nation, averaging nine assists a game. He is the Orangemen’s leading scorer with an 18.2 point-per-game average.

Earlier this season against Providence, Douglas tied the NCAA single-game record with 22 assists. He has recorded 10 or more assists in 11 games this season with an assortment of conventional passes, alley-oop lobs and electrifying manuevers.

The pre-season selection as the Big East’s Player of the Year, Douglas is considered to be one of the top three point guards in the nation, along with Oklahoma’s Mookie Blaylock and Iowa’s B.J. Armstrong.

But Douglas has risen from humble beginnings.

“I had self-doubts coming out of high school,” said Douglas, who was virtually ignored by the hometown Hoyas of nearby Georgetown and most other Division I schools.

“I had confidence I would make a good point guard but after not being recruited I began thinking that maybe I wasn’t as good a player as I thought,” said Douglas.

John Woods, who coached Douglas at Springarn High School, remembered being puzzled by the lack of interest in his star guard.

“He had an awkward shot, but somehow he always found a way to get the job done,” said Woods, whose team was 31-0 Douglas’ senior year. “He would always rise to the occasion. He had a competitive spirit that made me think there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.”

Syracuse was one of a handful of colleges that expressed interest in Douglas. His decision to become an Orangeman wasn’t an easy one because it meant playing--or rather sitting--behind Dwayne (Pearl) Washington for two seasons before even getting a chance.

Douglas, who had been the shooting guard at Springarn although recruited as a point guard, spent his first year learning from Washington and developing his ball-handling skills.

When Washington decided to turn professional after his junior season, Douglas became the Orangemen’s leader.

“He’s developed the ability to run this club and make good decisions,” said Boeheim. “And he’s still scores at the point. His improvement is the reason this has been a winning team.”

Indeed. Syracuse, 22-5, lost both games Douglas missed following a back injury in January.

“We’re not the same team without him,” said Boeheim.

“We believe in him as a leader. It’s his competitiveness that gets us going,” said teammate Derrick Coleman.

For the 6-foot Douglas, the biggest thrill in the game of basketball is delivering a crisp, precise pass to its target.

“Being the all-time passing leader of college basketball is going to be my biggest thrill because passing and distributing the ball is what I want to be known for,” said Douglas. “That means I’ve achieved my goal of being the best passer I could be.”

It’s often said of Douglas that he forces his teammates to score because his on-target passing is usually to their shooting hand, which helps create shooting opportunities.

“Sherman knows where the scoring opportunities come and he gets the ball to guys where they can do something with it. Making a good pass is only part of an assist,” said Boeheim.

While Douglas has made his name synonymous with assists, he also has become closely identified with the alley-oop pass he throws to near perfection.

“It’s something I started doing in high school when I realized there was no way they could stop the other guy once he caught the ball,” said Douglas, who had among his high school receivers, former Georgetown star Michael Graham.

“I didn’t throw it much here until my sophomore season after I was established. Now, I’ve got all these guys who can get up,” said Douglas, referring to Coleman, and leapers Stephen Thompson and David Johnson, “so why shouldn’t I throw it?”

Suprisingly, Douglas and his teammates never practice the alley-oop. It’s a spontaneous connection on court that usually starts off with a glance between Douglas and his target. The teammate breaks behind the defense and Douglas heaves the ball at a spot above the basket.

According to Douglas, it wouldn’t do any good to practice the play.

“Some of passing is skill, but a lot of it is having a natural ability, a sense of timing.”