He’s Not Exactly a Secret Weapon

Letters from NCAA Division I coaches arrive at Ruben Douglas’ home two or three times a month.

Phone calls from some of the same coaches are taken in Eli Essa’s office on a weekly basis.

None of this is unusual. Douglas is a standout basketball player for the Bell-Jeff High boys’ basketball team. Essa is his coach.

But what is a bit unusual is that such recruiting is taking place when Douglas is a sophomore.

“I wasn’t expecting to get all this attention this early,” Douglas said. “It makes me feel good, but I try not to let it get to my head.”

Douglas, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, leads first-place Bell-Jeff (15-5, 7-1 in Santa Fe League play) with averages of 19.6 points and 4.3 assists. He also averages 6.6 rebounds, second on the team.

“He can do everything,” Essa said. “It’s a cliche, but he’s definitely got the whole package.”

Douglas shoots 46% from three-point range and averages a dunk a game.

Before this season, Douglas was listed as one of the top sophomores in the country by two national publications. And he has lived up to the billing.

“He is going to be a big-time recruit,” Essa said. “He grew three inches last summer and will probably sprout some more.”

Douglas, 16, has a Size 13 shoe. His father, Rogelio, is 6-9, and played on Panama’s national team from 1966-1968. Ruben has a brother who is 6-7.

“He’s much further ahead of where I was at his age,” Rogelio said. “But the danger is that he can burn out quicker.”

Douglas has heard from coaches in the Pacific 10 and the Atlantic Coast. Essa says he has received phone calls from coaches in the same conferences, but declined to say which ones.

“They think he’s their little secret,” Essa said. “I don’t want to spoil it for them.”

Judging from the stack of letters Douglas has, he is among the worst-kept secrets around.