by William Ysaguirre
BELIZE CITY, Tues. Sept. 24, 2024
Belizean basketball player Douglas Langford, Jr., a son of Dangriga, has secured a full ride to prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a four-year scholarship which covers tuition, books, and all other expenses, valued at USD$350,000. Harvard is among the top 5 Ivy League universities in the United States, and one of the foremost tertiary level institutions of the English-speaking world. Its screening processes are so stringent that only 4 percent of those who apply actually get accepted to attend the University.
It’s a dream come true for the 17-year-old who was voted the Most Valuable Player of the “Basketball Without Borders” Americas tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil from May 17-20. Standing 6’8″ and 240lbs, Langford was the only Belize player among 30 of the best 17-year-olds from all over the hemisphere including 5 from Canada, 5 from Brazil and 3 from Argentina. The tournament included 30 of the best 17-year-old female players.
Douglas could pretty much write his own ticket, with nine universities lining up to offer him scholarships, including Yale, Princeton and Loyola Marymount University (LMU), after he was voted among the All-Star top 5 players, when Belize hosted the CentroBasket on July 6-10 last year. At 16 years of age, he averaged 14pts, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks as he led Belize to win the bronze medal, which qualified Belize for the first time ever to the FIBA AmeriCup 2024.
He scored 28pts, 9 rebounds as he helped lead Belize to a historic 106-102 upset of Brazil at the FIFA AmeriCup U18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June this year, which established his reputation as one of the premier young athletes in the region.
Douglas was only 14 when his parents made the difficult decision to enroll him at St Pius X High School in Los Angeles, California where he had access to U.S. coaches to develop his basketball talent to its full potential, and where U.S. scouts got to see his abilities for the first time.
This week Harvard University announced his commitment to their program to play for their team in the 2025 Division 1 season. His parents whole-heartedly support his decision on Harvard, as its academic standards assure him of a good education for future success, even if he does not make it to a professional career playing in the NBA.
The Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Transport could not lag far behind in congratulating Langford for this remarkable accomplishment, which the ministry release describes as “significant milestone not only for him personally, but also for his community and the nation of Belize as a whole.” His “extraordinary achievement highlights the immense potential of Belizean youth in the realm of sports,” and his “success serves as a beacon of inspiration for all Belizean athletes, demonstrating that with diligence and support, aspirations can indeed become reality.” The Ministry wishes him every success as he embarks on this exciting new chapter at Harvard, as “his accomplishment not only brings immense pride to Belize, but also reinforces our belief that he will continue to excel on the international stage.”