Marcus Douthit: The Big Daddy Difference

Thank You Douthit!

With Team Pilipinas a.k.a. SMART Gilas 2.0 looking stronger by the day, even causing greats such as Ronnie Magsanoc and Vince Hizon to call it the "best ever," we should all take time to thank the one guy who has made the biggest transition of all in the name of overall success.

We're talking about no less than naturalized center Marcus Douthit-- the 6"10 pillar of strength that has seen and led two different Pilipinas basketball selections over the last two to three years. The soft-spoken big man with droopy eyes and fundamentally sound finesse low post moves has not only embraced his new country but has quickly adapted to whatever system is presented him.

Back when then Pilipinas head coach Rajko Toroman brought the New Yorker in, expectations were unfairly high on Douthit. The SMART Gilas program was taking quite a while to develop, and though the system was working and our players were being developed-- we were still a basketball doughnut despite having an import named C.J. Giles (who was more athletic than skilled, not too mention him being skinnier than Gabe Norwood *not a complement for a center*).