Ruben Douglas, Lobo basketball legend, dies

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Former UNM men’s basketball player Ruben Douglas has passed away. He was 44.

According to his brother, Ramon, he has a sudden health problem that arose in Costa Rica. It proved to be fatal.

Douglas spent three seasons at the University of New Mexico in the early 2000s and became one greatest scorers in Lobos history. The three-time All-Mountain West selection set a program record for most points over a three-year span (1,782) and was the NCAA scoring leader for the 2022-2023 season with a 28-point-per-game average.

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Douglas still holds the UNM record for most 20-point games in a career (49) and season (25), as well as consecutive 20-point games (16) and consecutive 30-point games (5). He also holds the single-season record for made free throws with 253, set in the 2002-2003 season.

Following his time with the Lobos, Douglas played professionally overseas. He led Fortitudo Bologna to a 2005 Italian League championship in 2005 and then led Russian club Dynamo Moscow to its first EuroCup title in 2006.

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