PIT STOP

College basketball usually doesn’t always work this well. Ruben Douglas knows it. Fran Fraschilla knows it.

That’s why they look up into the cloudless Albuquerque sky and thank those shining stars that seem close enough to touch.

Fraschilla, a coach raised in Brooklyn, was in the beginning stages of rebuilding the program at New Mexico.

Douglas, a guard from Bell-Jeff High in Burbank, left Arizona after his freshman year in 1999, unhappy with a lack of playing time on a roster loaded with talent.

Fraschilla needed a star.

Douglas needed a place to shine.

So it happens that Douglas became the star in a place called the Pit, a storied arena where Fraschilla is guiding the Lobos back to Division I respectability.

New Mexico (20-12) hosts Pepperdine (22-8) tonight in a second-round NIT game televised on ESPN. Although the NIT takes a backseat to the NCAA tournament, the national audience and vociferous home crowd provide valuable exposure. This will be the fifth consecutive Lobo game on television.

Douglas averages a team-high 15.9 points. His shooting percentage and productivity have steadily improved since he became eligible in mid-December, and he scored 27 in an NIT first-round victory over Baylor.

In Fraschilla’s rebuilding effort, Douglas provided a shortcut.

“He’s had a tremendous impact,” Fraschilla said. “When we added Ruben Douglas, our first thought was that we never could have found a high school player this good. We added a high-major player with experience. That doesn’t happen very often.”

The appreciation is reciprocated. The outgoing, confident Douglas relishes being the primary shooter, the way it was when he led the state with a 34.8 scoring average and was chosen Times’ Valley Player of the Year as a Bell-Jeff senior in 1998.

Arizona was a shock. As part of a heralded group of six incoming freshmen, he was lost in the crowd. Coach Lute Olson disciplined Douglas for “childish behavior” during a Las Vegas trip and he averaged eight points in a part-time role.

The next year, he lost a battle to become shooting guard to freshman Gilbert Arenas from Grant High. Decisiveness is never a problem for Douglas, who promptly quit before the season began. However, he remained in school until after the fall semester.

“He did a smart thing by not playing in any games but finishing the semester,” Fraschilla said. “It saved him his sophomore year [of eligibility].”

Douglas was recruited by Georgia and Villanova, among others, but chose New Mexico because it was closer to home. The Lobos defeated Arizona twice during Douglas’ freshman year, so he had experienced the Pit and its charms.

“I didn’t want to get lost in the East Coast shuffle,” he said. “I liked New Mexico because this is the only game in town. The people really support the team.”

He enrolled at New Mexico in the spring of 2000, went to practices and learned the system introduced by Fraschilla, who was in his first season. The Lobos went 18-14.

“I could tell we were just going to get better,” Douglas said. “And I could tell I would be part of the improvement.”

He started slowly, shooting 30% in the first three games after becoming eligible. His first significant contribution came at Gonzaga when he made a game-winning, fade-away jump shot with 4.4 seconds left in overtime to cap a 23-point performance.

Misfires continued, however, and Douglas’ frustration reached a head when Fraschilla scolded him after an errant pass against New Mexico State on Jan. 6. Douglas waved off his coach, who immediately pulled him. Douglas did not start the next two games.

“It was in the heat of the game,” Douglas said. “A lot has happened since then and it’s all good.”

The Lobos’ three-guard lineup meshes smoothly now. Douglas is the catch-and-shoot threat from anywhere who makes 40% of his three-pointers and 80% of his free throws. Eric Chatfield is a solid defender who can slash to the hoop, and Marlon Parmer is a play-making point guard.

Fraschilla, for his part, cuts Douglas some slack.

“The rap on Ruben is that he likes to shoot a lot, and we want that,” Fraschilla said. “He’s a prolific scorer. He is exactly what I thought he’d be.

“The great thing is, he is a basketball junkie. If I had to guess, he was frustrated at Arizona because he was a small piece of the puzzle. Here, we’ve created the environment for him to be the go-to player.”

Douglas has meshed well off the court, as well. He writes for the school newspaper, carries a 3.0 grade-point average and impresses teammates with his snake collection. He wants to open a pet store specializing in reptiles.

In New Mexico, that kind of aspiration goes over just fine. So does his game.