Schuckman: Journey back to prosperity has been emotional ride for Blue Devils’ Douglas

QUINCY — His voice quivered. His eyes glistened. And the words Andy Dougals felt best described the agony and ecstasy that bookended the past year were difficult to utter.

“Damn, I didn’t know I’d get this emotional,” he said.

So Douglas took off his glasses, dabbed at the corner of his eyes and took a moment before continuing the conversation.

Right then, his 3-year-old daughter, Sloan, ran up, wanting nothing more than to give her daddy a hug.

“Love you,” she said.

Then she bounced away.

Douglas sat there watching her run toward his wife, Linda, and he smiled. No matter if the Quincy High School boys basketball team wins or loses, no matter if his coaching is vilified or celebrated, no matter if his job seems in jeopardy or solidly secure, the love and appreciation he goes home to trumps it all.

This year, it’s been a blessing.

Last year, it was his salvation.

The emotional way he talks about how the Blue Devils went from the struggles during the truncated 2021 season to winning the Western Big 6 Conference championship this season tells you how much the turnaround means personally and professionally.

“I felt bad for the group last year that had to go through it,” Douglas said of the 2021 season in which Quincy finished 3-12. “But in this game and in coaching, you quickly have to turn the page. Our players turned the page pretty well.”

It might have been easier for the players than it was for Douglas, now in his eighth season as the head coach of his alma mater.

Last season, his decisions, his lineups and his rotations were scrutinized. Three years after winning a regional championship and a WB6 championship, Douglas was deemed no longer fit to coach the tradition-rich program in the eyes of some fans.

He shrugged off the criticism as best he could.

“It’s never easy when you struggle at something you pour yourself into,” said Douglas, who owns a 137-70 record at QHS. “I felt worse for the players. They gave everything they had last season and it didn’t show in our record. It’s hard to go through something like that. I know it was really hard on them.”

Douglas didn’t want another group to experience such pain, so he charted a course of commitment and due diligence to change things.

He examined what worked, what didn’t and why. He made the decision to put four freshmen on the varsity roster and give three of them significant playing time. He knew playing a bevy of underclassmen could open himself up to criticism, but it couldn’t be worse than the scrutiny he faced last season.

Douglas also didn’t shy away from scheduling quality opponents in favor of easy victories. The combined winning percentage of the five teams the Blue Devils lost to during the regular season was .819 with those teams combining for 113 victories.

The teams they beat were high quality, too. During its 24-5 regular season and 13-1 WB6 campaign, Quincy picked up 10 victories against teams with a .727 winning percentage. Four of those opponents won 20 or more games.

It has prepared the Blue Devils for what lies ahead. They open play in the Class 4A Alton Regional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Edwardsville with potential matchups against O’Fallon, Moline and Normal Community looming, depending on how the brackets play out.

And if at any stretch things go sideways or the Blue Devils find themselves struggling, Douglas can remind them to turn the page and find a way to revamp, renew and revive their pursuit of success.

He had to do the same thing for himself and his program, and seeing it come to fruition is enough to bring a 40-year-old man to tears.