Scotch Plains-native Bryan Dougher, a junior at Stony Brook University in New York, does not normally wake-up at 3:45 a.m. But when his phone rang early Tuesday morning, Dougher, was more than ready to leave the comfort of his bed. A starting guard for the Stony Brook Sea Wolves basketball team, he and his team played the 6 a.m. slot of ESPN's 24-hour college basketball marathon.
"We had 6 a.m. practices to get ready for this one," Dougher said in a telephone interview. "We were ready. It didn't have an effect. There isn't much we can do physically to prepare for the game. Resting the day before and trying to be mentally prepared to execute the game-plan is the main preparation we did."
Stony Brook was not among ESPN's top choices for its basketball marathon, which started at midnight on Tuesday. But the network found itself needing two teams to fill that most unwelcome time-slot at 6 a.m. Stony Brook and Monmouth University, Division I teams eager for national attention, proved happy to take the slot.
"Once the game starts and the ball goes up, it's just like a 7 p.m. game," Dougher said. And his team won in typical college-ball fashion. Playing on the road at Monmouth, Stony Brook won by a single basket, 51-49. The team improved to 2-1 on the season.
Since the 2008-2009 season, Dougher has been answering the call for Stony Brook – although not necessarily so early in the morning. An All-State player at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in winter 2008, Dougher chose the up-and-coming program at Stony Brook over more established basketball programs. That choice, he said, was the correct one.
"I couldn't be happier with my decision to go to Stony Brook," he said. "We have a great coaching staff and a talented team. We've made huge strides in my time here and the program is definitely on the upswing. We have a good chance of achieving our goal of an NCAA tournament appearance."
Dougher was an integral part of the Sea Wolves's season last year, helping them to 22 wins and the America East regular-season title. The team ultimately lost to Illinois in the NIT, but it was nevertheless the team's best season in Division I. They were set to be picked to win the league this season, but then lost forward Tommy Brenton for what looks like the season because of a knee injury.
"Tommy being injured is certainly a setback," said head coach Steve Pikiell, who was also named the American East's Coach of the Year last season. "He has been the leading rebounder in the conference for the last two years. But, I also feel that we have a lot of depth up front."
Dougher said that without Brenton, he and senior guard Chris Martin will be expected to bear more of the load while freshmen Anthony Mayo and Al Rapier acclimate to the college game. Nevertheless, Mayor and Rapier were assets in the game against Monmouth.
"It was great to see other guys step up," Dougher said. "Mayo has a huge upside and Rapier will help us a lot with Brenton out for a while. Chris stepped up big today down the stretch and we need him to play well to win."
Dougher, himself, struggled against Monmoouth's sticky defense. "Monmouth did a good job shading me all over the court and not giving me an open look for most of the game," he said. "The biggest difference between the college game and high school is the talent level. In college, every player on every team is a Division I talent. There's a lot of competition in practices and games, and you can't take days off or you will get beat."
The Sea Wolves' only loss this season came in its season-opener against the University of Connecticut, a perennial powerhouse. The loss, however, came with some upsides, Dougher said.
"Opening up at Connecticut was a great experience and great exposure for the school," he said. "We played them tough in the first half but their size was too much for us in the second half. They're a young, talented team that will be very competitive in the Big East if they can all mesh together and their freshman mature quickly" said Dougher who left an indelible mark on SPF.
Had the 2008 state basketball tournament never happened, Dougher might have been best remembered for what is known around Scotch Plains and Fanwood as "The Shot." In a January 2007 game against archrival Westfield, Dougher, off-balance and falling out of bounds, chucked a three-point Hail Mary at the buzzer that turned what would have been a loss into a spectacular win.
But the following year, after scoring 145 points in five games, and leading the Raiders to their first state championship, Dougher became the player who put Scotch Plains-Fanwood on the basketball map. Dougher saved his best game for the biggest stage, scoring 27 of his 35 points in the second half in a 60-53 championship victory over Timber Creek at Rutgers Athletic Center.
It completed a magical two-week run, in which Dougher seemed to play better as the stakes got higher. He started modestly enough, with a 10-point effort in a 49-37 first-round victory over Emerson. That tally enabled him to become the school's all-time leading scorer in his final home game.
Dougher then racked-up 31 points as the Raiders tamed second seeded Mendham 54-38. In the sectional final, his 26 points paced the Raiders to a 59-39 win over Colonia, their first Section title since 1960.
But he was just warming up. In the Group 3 State semifinals, he hit five three-pointers, was 10-of-10 from the foul line, and poured in a game-high 33 points as the Raiders defeated Wayne Valley 71-56. His tour de force against Timber Creek was the culmination of a four-year journey that began when he started the first game of his freshman year.
"I'm extremely happy the way my high school career turned out," Dougher said. "My freshman year was more of a learning year for me. I got to play valuable minutes and learn what varsity basketball was like. The Watchung Conference has produced so many great players and I'm fortunate to have been able to play four years against great competition."
But for Dougher, high school is a memory moving further into the past. "I don't think about high school too much anymore, except when people bring it up to me," he said. "It's always good to reminisce about great memories in the past and I'll never forget that state championship run. I'm focused on helping Stony Brook win a championship now."
A former teammate of Dougher's at Terrill Middle School, Ashton Gibbs, is also focused on winning an NCAA title at the University of Pittsburgh as one of the nation's top guards. Dougher said he still follows his former teammate.
"We keep in touch throughout the season with text messages, wishing each other good luck," Dougher said. "I watch his games whenever they're on TV. When we're both back in Scotch Plains we get together and workout. It's great to see he's doing so well and I'm hoping he does make to the NBA soon."
"Playing with Ashton in middle school was great. He's a tremendous player. Being on his team and going against him in practice made me a much better player." said Dougher.
Dan Doherty, Dougher's high school coach, discussed his former player's talent. "People just don't understand how good this guy is," Doherty said. "Bryan's game is much more than shows up in the box score. He is a great student of the game and knows how to make winning plays and also make his teammates better." Doherty is now coaching Dougher's younger brother, Patrick, a senior captain at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
"I usually only get to see Patrick play, like, once a year but I'm hoping to see a little more this year since it's his senior season," Dougher said. "He keeps getting better every time I see him play. Hopefully he keeps growing and getting stronger so he can play in college."
As Dougher's college career continues to evolve, his success on the court demonstrates that he will remain ready to play and win – no matter what time the game starts.
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