On November 18, 1999, Providence Friars head coach Tim Welsh announced that Douthit has signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Providence College for the 2000–01 school year.[5] Eventually, Douthit would stay at Providence for four consecutive years, taking up a bachelor's degree in Social Science. During his freshman year, he was able to record his first career double-double against Brown University by scoring a career-high 22 points and collecting 11 rebounds.
As a junior in Providence, Douthit finished 11th in the NCAA Men's Division I with an average of 3.0 blocks per game. The following year as a senior, he improved to seventh with an average of 3.2 blocks per game, third in the Big East Conference. He finished his college career ranking second all-time in blocks at his school with 295.
Douthit was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft with the 56th overall pick.[7] However, he decided to play ball in Belgium instead since the Lakers already had 15 players on the roster, and it was still awaiting the decision of Karl Malone if he would join the team.[8] Although he never played in the NBA, Douthit had several close stints in signing with a couple of ball clubs, specifically the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers
During the 2006–07 NBA season, the Lakers announced that they would sign Douthit after playing professional ball in Europe.[9] Shortly after, the team placed him on waivers.[10] Douthit along with other aspirants such as J. R. Pinnock, Mamadou N'diaye, and Devin Green were all cut by the Lakers before the start of the regular season.[11]
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers, on the other hand, signed Douthit and Jamaican professional basketball player Kimani Ffriend in the 2007–08 NBA season, including them in the team's training camp roster.[12] After not playing in the first two preseason games of the team, Douthit was waived by the Clippers.[13]
While playing for the Thunderbirds, Douthit averaged 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest.[15] Douthit also helped the team defeat the Fort Worth Flyers, 119–108, to win the 2005–06NBA Development League Championship, scoring 11 points and collecting 15 rebounds during the championship game.[16]
European career
Belgium
Before playing in the NBA D-League, Douthit played in the Basketball League Belgium, also known as the Ligue Ethias, which is the highest professional basketball league in the country.[17] In Belgium, he played for RBC Verviers-Pepinster and Spirou Charleroi, and averaged 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds while playing for these ball clubs.
Turkey
Douthit has played for basketball club Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi in Turkey during the 2007–08 season. That year, the team finished sixth in the league with a total 18 wins, qualifying them to the playoffs. The club was eventually eliminated by Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülkerspor. While playing for Antalya in Turkey's top men's professional basketball league, Turkish Basketball League, Douthit averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.[18]
Russia
After several stints in a number of professional leagues in Europe, Douthit suited up for BC Krasnye Krylya Samara in Russia. Based in the city of Samara, the club plays in the Russian Basketball Super League. During the 2009–10 season, the club also participated in the 2010 EuroChallenge, organized by FIBA Europe. Douthit averaged 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 11 games in that year's EuroChallenge.[19]
In September 2016, Douthit was signed in by Mighty Sports to play for the club in the 2016 Merlion Cup in Singapore where the team finished second.[26] and in February 2017 he was re-signed in by Mighty Sports to play for the club in the 2017 Dubai International Basketball Championship.[27]
Thailand
On January 3, 2017, it was reported that Douthit signed a contract to play for the Hanoi Buffaloes, a Vietnamese ball club which will compete at the Thailand Basketball Super League.[28] He stayed in that league, playing for the Mekong United Raptors and Kabayan Philippines.[29][30]
Douthit first suited up as an import for Gilas at the 2010 MVP Invitational Champions' Cup, which was held from June 24 to 27 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.[32] He helped the nationals beat the Jordan national basketball team in the championship game, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Toroman, a former assistant coach of the national squad of Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995, was impressed with Douthit's performance and recommended him to be Gilas’ top prospect for naturalization.[33]
Douthit's represented the Philippines at the 2010 William Jones Cup, an international basketball tournament held from July 14 to 22 in Taipei, Taiwan. Smart Gilas finished third in the tournament, improving the country's sixth-place finish from the previous year. In the tournament, Douthit was named a member of the All-Tournament Team along with Yuta Tabuse (Japan), Lee Hsueh-lin (Taiwan), Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (Iran), and Takuya Kawamura (Japan).[35]
Douthit also represented the Philippines in both the 2011 William Jones Cup and 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.[39][40] In that year's FIBA Asia Championship, he averaged 21.9 points and 12.2 rebounds for Smart Gilas, which finished fourth overall in the tournament.
In 2012, Douthit helped Gilas get as far as the semifinals of the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup.[41]
In the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, Douthit led Gilas to the semis. There, against South Korea, he got injured but his teammates stepped up and defeated South Korea to get into the finals. Gilas finished the tournament with a silver medal.[42][43]
For the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Douthit wasn't fielded by Gilas, and his spot went to Andray Blatche.[42] Due to Blatche's ineligibility in the 2014 Asian Games, he was able to play for Gilas once again.[43] Against Kazakhstan, with Gilas needing to win by 11 to get into the semifinals, he tried scoring on his own goal to send the game to overtime where they could have won by the needed margin, but the basket was nullified and Gilas won by only two points.[44]
In 2015, Douthit was called up for that year's SEA Games.[45] He helped lead Gilas to a gold medal.[46] In August of that year, he confirmed that the SBP decided not to renew his contract, ending his time with Gilas.[42]
Filipino naturalization
I'll never have Filipino blood, but as far as becoming a Filipino, I'll always have it in my heart."[47]
— Marcus Eugene Douthit
In February 2011, former Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala announced that Douthit's application for Filipino naturalization has already been transmitted for signature to the office of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. Thirty days after February 9, the day the application reached the president's office at Malacañan Palace, Douthit would secure his Filipino citizenship with or without Aquino's signature.[48]
On March 11, 2011, Republic Act No. 10148 [49] introduced by Antipolo Second District Congressman Robbie Puno, which grants Filipino citizenship to Douthit, lapsed into law after President Aquino failed to sign it.[50]
Douthit's eligibility to play for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team was confirmed by FIBA Sport and Eligibility committee head Ivanka Toteva in June 2011.[51] With the confirmation, Douthit will be allowed to represent the Philippines as a naturalized player in all FIBA sanctioned events.
Player profile
Douthit is 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) tall, and is usually tasked to play the center and power forward positions. He is often described as a versatile big man who loves to crash the boards and score off garbage points, with a steady perimeter shot. With his 7-4 wingspan, Douthit has incredible reach as well, which makes him a prolific shot blocker. Tim Welsh, Douthit's former coach at Providence, once said that, "Marcus runs the court very well and handles the ball well for a big man. He's not a back-to-the basket player, he's a face-up player which is what makes him perfect for our style of play... He's also a tremendous shot blocker who has great timing and makes it difficult for people to score over him."[52] Douthit is also often compared to Haitian Canadian professional basketball player Samuel Dalembert.
Coaching career
During the 2019–20 season, Douthit joined the coaching staff of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Knights basketball team.[6] In 2022, he had a stint as the head coach of the Beantown Bisons in the American Basketball Association.[53] A month later, he became CCRI's head coach.[6] In his first year, the Knights finished the season 14-15 overall and earned the No. 8 seed in the NJCAA Region XXI Tournament.[54] The following season, they finished 11-10 in league play to earn the No. 6 seed in the NCJAA Region XXI Tournament. After that season, he was replaced as head coach.[55]
