The journey from Brooklyn high school basketball star to one of the most prolific scorers in Rutgers basketball and Big East history almost never happen if not for a phone between old friends.
 
Former Rutgers men's basketball head coach Gary Waters received a phone call from a friend who moved from Detroit to New York and was working as a director of a boy's club where Quincy Douby would come by and shoot.
 
"He went on to say he was the best shooter he's ever seen," said Waters. "He said, 'I'm calling you because I want you to come down and see him and you make the assessment for yourself.'"
 
So Waters made the trip to New York to watch Douby play. Before the game, he spoke with Grady High School coach, the late Jack Ringel, who echoed the same sentiments about Douby's shooting ability that Waters heard earlier in the week from his longtime friend.
 
"I got there early and I ran into his high school coach," said Waters. "He was really high on Quincy, but all he talked about was his shooting and how great of a shooter he was. He said the same thing my friend said, which was that he was the best shooter he's ever seen."
 
On that Tuesday night, Douby went on to show off that touch from outside, finishing the game hitting 18-of-21 three-pointers. Waters watched in amazement as a tall, slender, soft-spoken kid put on a shooting clinic.
 
"I went up to Jack and said, 'You told me the boy could shoot, is that real?'" said Waters. "Jack said, 'Yes, that is what he does.'"
 
Not believing what he had just witnessed, Waters needed to see it again for himself. Grady High School was back in action later that week on Friday for a road game so Waters turned to Ringel and said, "I'm coming. I want to see if what I saw is true." This time, Douby put on another show from outside, going 16-for-18 from the three-point line, which all but sealed the deal. Waters made it his goal to get Douby on his squad at Rutgers.
 
"I was just overwhelmed. [The rest was] history from there," said Waters.
 
Douby went on to do just that - make history at Rutgers. In three seasons, he became the sixth-highest scorer in program annals with 1,690 total points. He averaged a Big East-best 25.4 points per game and set the school record for points in a season (839) en route to becoming RU's only First Team All-Big East Conference selection.
 
Following his junior season in 2005-06, he earned All-America honors and was a first round selection of the Sacramento Kings with the 19th overall pick, becoming the first Rutgers player drafted in the first round since Roy Hinson in 1983.
 
For Douby, all these accolades culminate with his induction into the Rutgers Hall of Fame.
 
"It feels amazing," said Douby in a recent interview. "I never imagined receiving such a great honor."
 
As a young kid growing up in Brooklyn, Douby spent countless hours practicing his game well into the wee hours of the night with the dream of becoming a better basketball player. But through all that hard work, even Douby is left somewhat surprised by all the opportunities the game of basketball has afforded him.
 
"I never thought I would have half the success I was able to accomplish," said Douby. "Being so dedicated and passionate for the game of basketball has truly been a blessing."
 
Douby burst on the scene with a memorable performance in the NIT semifinal against Iowa State. The 6-3 freshman scored a season-high 35 points against the Cyclones, pushing the Scarlet Knights into the finals against Michigan. It's a game that stands out for both Douby and Waters.
 
"My best memory was playing in Madison Square Garden in the NIT semifinals and scoring 35 points as a freshman," said Douby.
 
"Where he [broke] out was his freshman year at the NIT semifinals," said Waters. "He had a fabulous game and I thought it made people realize how good of a player this person could be."
 
Throughout his three seasons 'On the Banks,' Douby had a number of standout games. One that remains on the minds of many Scarlet Knight fans was his performance against Big East power Syracuse on the road. He made a school-record nine three-pointers to score a Carrier Dome-opponent record 41 points on February 1, 2006.
 
Douby will always be remembered as a great scorer and shooter, however, for his former head coach, he will be remembered for the type of teammate he was.
 
"He was tremendous to coach," said Waters. "Quincy was the ultimate team player. Even though he shot the ball, he would really defer to people. I had to get on him to really go after it. He cared for his teammates."
 
His demeanor remained steady throughout his career despite the early success as a freshman and being one of the most talked about players in the Big East.
 
"His personality was the right kind of personalities for the role that he had," said Waters. "He wasn't a selfish guy and he wasn't an ego freak. At that level you can get some ego guys and everything is about me. He really wasn't like that, he just enjoyed the game of basketball."
 
Waters also saw Douby as a hard worker, someone who was always looking to improve his game. Even for a player who the ability to shoot the basketball well came naturally, Douby spent hours working on his touch from outside.
 
"When you can really shoot, it's a gift," said Waters. "You have a touch and you're pure, he was that kind of person. You don't have to work on your game a lot because in those moments, you're going to shoot the basketball [well]. He worked on his shooting at least a couple hours everyday and he enjoyed doing it. That was a uniqueness in the kid I found."
 
Ten years removed from his college playing days and having played in the NBA and around the world, Douby looks back at his time at Rutgers with fond memories. The ways in which his life was impacted go far beyond just his success on the court.
 
"My time at Rutgers was priceless," said Douby. "Just being a student-athlete and getting to meet so many different people helped me grow as a man. I miss those days.
 
"The fans at Rutgers were very important to the success I had as an individual and as a team. The love and support the fans gave us every home game was inspiring and energetic, and I appreciate them for that. They brought the best out of me."
 
Douby continues to light up the scoreboard overseas, he once scored a league-record 75 points in a Chinese Basketball Association game while playing for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. His journey in basketball has taken him from the New York City to Piscataway to Sacramento to Toronto and all across the globe, including Lebanon where he currently plays as a member of Riyadi.
 
That tall, slender, soft-spoken kid who burst on the scene as one of the best shooters in Rutgers history is now a husband to Melissa Douby, whom he met at Rutgers and the pair are the proud parents of a beautiful daughter named Marissa.