Douglas-Roberts Talks About Recruitment

Despite the fact that Chris Douglas-Roberts is one of the most heavily recruited players in the class of 2005, he still hasn’t adjusted to the extra attention he’s been receiving as of late. Early on in his recruitment, Douglas-Roberts had been hearing from a handful of high major programs, but all that has changed. Check the Ultimate Ticket for more details...

“My recruitment is something I didn’t really pay attention to early on because there was a time when I wasn’t really being heavily recruited,” Douglas-Roberts said. “All of this has really happened out of the blue. There are times when I sit-down and think about some of the options I have, but I’m really focused on school and having a successful year on the basketball court.”

Douglas-Roberts has always believed that he could compete at the high major level, but getting others to believe has been a long and strenuous process. When the 6-foot-6, 170-pound shooting guard from Cass Tech High School in Detroit, MI., isn’t exploding for 20 or 30-points against his competitors at the high school level, he is playing the point guard position for an AAU team know as “The Family.

For those that don’t know, Malik Hairston, Joe Crawford and Ron Coleman happen to play on the same summer traveling team, so it’s easy to see what Douglas-Roberts might have been lost in the shuffle.

While it has taken longer than expected, Douglas-Roberts has become one of the most recognizable players in the Detroit area.

“I would say that I’m really open right now when it comes to my recruitment, but California, Clemson, Connecticut, Dayton, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, UCLA and Xavier are just a few of the schools that I really like,” Douglas-Roberts said. “I have taken unofficial visits to Michigan and Michigan State, so I am familiar with those programs.”

Once Douglas-Roberts completes his junior season at Cass Tech, he’ll turn all of his attention towards the recruiting process, but until that time, he wants to improve his game and, more importantly, enjoy being a high schools student athlete.

“I can really play all three frontcourt positions,” he said. “I can run the point, I can slide over and become the shooter, or I can play the small forward position. During the high school season, I’m considered the shooting guard or scoring guard. I’m the scorer on my high school team, but my game really involves getting my teammates some open looks. I love passing the ball and getting others involved.

“I’m averaging 23-points and seven assists per game this year, so I’m doing a little bit of both when it comes to putting up points and sharing the ball with my teammates,” he added. “I really need to improve on my strength. The players at the college level are much more mature and so much stronger, so I’m going to increase my body mass and my quickness. Those are the two areas that stand out the most, but I’m not going to limit myself when it comes to the overall abilities of my game. My jump shot still needs improvement and I need to become a better defender. I’m going to concentrate on every area of my game the next two years and do everything I can to become a complete player.”

Douglas-Roberts indicated that he is planning to take official visits to Kansas and Oklahoma, but has not decided what other schools he would like to visit.