The man who scored and awarded a championship a moment before the siren is gone too soon. At 44 years old, after at least fifteen spent with a basketball in his hands at very high levels, Ruben Douglas has passed away. Hero of Fortitudo Bologna’s second tricolor in 2005 and indelible piece of history in the history of Italian basketball: his basket at the end of game 4 of the final at the Foruminitially not validated by the referees and then reviewed and corrected on instant replay, it marked a turning point. The championshipthen contested by Olimpia Milano and Fortitudo Bologna, it was decided precisely with the help of technology, introduced in that season. On 16 June 2005, with Milan leading 64-65 and the series at 2-1 for Bologna, Douglas launched a desperate triple which was saved with time practically up: the referees used the instant replay and awarded the victory, the 3-1 point and the championship to Fortitudo, at that time a battleship that included champions like Basile, Smodis, could boast Jasmin Repesa on the bench and was managed munificently by the owner Giorgio Seragnoli. Native of Pasadena, but with a Panamanian passport, Ruben Douglas played in Bologna for only one season, that of the second championship. In Italy, after prestigious periods also at Panionios, Dinamo Mosca and Valenciathe guard rappeared for 11 games in 2009 wearing the Virtus Roma jersey. He had been living in Costa Rica for some time now.
The news of his death, which occurred due to a liver complication, was given by telephone to Fortitudo by his brother Ramon. This is the Effe press release:
«Shocked and unable to utter any words. This is the feeling that accompanies us after having responded, in these hours, to a phone call from the USA.
On the other end of the phone is Ramon Douglas, who freezes our blood as he gives us the most dramatic news: Ruben, his brother, is no longer here. A sudden health problem was fatal to him a few days ago in Costa Rica.
Thus passes away, at just 44 years of age, the protagonist of one of the most iconic moments in Effe’s history, with that unforgettable three-point shot validated by the instant replay and which gave Fortitudo its second championship (in June 2005).
And if, on the field, the marriage between Ruben and Fortitudo lasted twelve months, the feeling with the Effe environment and with its people never stopped. Indeed, it has strengthened over the years, in which Ruben has always kept himself informed about the daily life of his / our Fortitudo which, one day, he would also like to coach. Even during this season, at the end of each match, Ruben was regularly updated on the team’s results and had already planned (after the crowd he received in 2019) a new return under the two Towers, which should have taken place in these months, to once again embrace all his people, who have never forgotten him and will never forget him.
It’s truly a dramatic time. Many, too many very heavy sudden losses. Absolute protagonists of the history of Fortitudo who leave us, almost always without a logical answer and an explanation other than that of a perfidious and unacceptable destiny to which they must inevitably submit.
The entire large Fortitudo family mourns, shocked and heartbroken, at the far too premature death of an unforgettable actor who was the protagonist of its story, uniting in a moving and very strong embrace with Ruben’s family.
“Bologna wins, Bologna wins. Fortitudo wins, Fortitudo wins. It’s the scudetto, it’s L’Aquila’s scudetto.”
Hi, Ruben»
