Keith Dueñas

Keith Ríos Dueñas
(Devils Hole pupfish, F/C)
ID#1327

2025 Draft Candidate
Nickname(s)
Blue Fin
Personal information
Species	Devils Hole pupfish
Gender	Male
Date of birth	(2000-07-25) July 25, 2000
Birth place	Beatty, NV
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Shoots	Left-handed
Education
School	Ruby Valley College ( Elko, Nevada )
Player Contacts
(IC) Agent	Gustavo
(OOC) Creator	Gustavo

Biography

The youngest of 3 children, born in the unincorporated town of Beatty, Nevada, Keith Ríos Dueñas grew up in a house near the Amargosa River. With extended family that stretched out from Tonopah, Pahrump and Mercury Nevada to Furnace Creek California, Keith’s relatives had always been around the region, but were still an odd sight to see. Because it’s one thing to see a fish out of water, it’s quite another to see fish surviving out in the desert-like conditions of the region. While being an aquatic species in a town that only receives 5.71 inches of precipitation a year was difficult, the Dueñas family made the best of it. With his Father working at the water & sanitation district, and his mother working part time between the public library and as a substitute teacher, Keith and his brothers had a fairly stable homelife. They’d get into trouble exploring the local ghost towns late at night and doing other childhood shenanigans. After an accident with his oldest brother Ignatius falling into a collapsed mineshaft and shattering his leg, Keith’s parents worked to direct his youthful energy towards something a little safer and more productive. Basketball.

Keith’s first attempts to join the varsity basketball team as a freshman in high school didn’t go so well. He was a short fish on a team with taller players. After a short time playing, his coach cut him from the team. While for some this setback might deter them from pursuing a sport further; Keith however was not. He liked the sport, and eventually found a local sports club that allowed him to continue playing basketball. Outside on the sun scorched concrete basketball courts, Keith would practice and learned the basics through the sports club, getting one-on-one mentoring that Keith found beneficial to his understanding of the game. It was also during this span of time, that Keith started to grow. By the time he tried out again for the basketball team his sophomore year, he had already grown six inches taller. By his Junior year, Keith was standing a full head taller than some of his teammates, his coach decided that Keith’s size would make him a good choice for a power forward.

Keith’s performance on the team would pay off as he graduated high school and was offered scholarships to a few different colleges to play basketball. But rather than head to the bright lights of Las Vegas, or to California, the fish would head further north to the city of Elko and Ruby Valley college. While his choice was perplexing to some, going to a smaller public college over a larger university with a potentially better basketball program was a choice he didn’t make lightly. Before Keith had graduated, his brother Aramis had moved to outside Las Vegas for a job on the strip. Over the course of half a year, Keith watched his brother get chewed up and spit out by the big city, having to move back in with his parents as his job didn’t work out and new prospects dried up. Keith didn’t want the same to happen to him.

Despite being a smaller public college, Ruby Valley still had a healthy student body and also a decent basketball team. Keith kept playing as a power forward, using his full height and body size to his full advantage; while also learning to get a solid feel for the game. Not afraid to get physical when fighting for rebounds, but also learning how to operate on the perimeter and be a strong finisher. With Keith’s coach teaching him how to defend multiple positions on defense and make plays on offense, the large blue scaled fish was becoming a very versatile player. His size eventually earning him the nickname ‘Bluefin’, as he was much closer to an adult tuna in size than any of his relatives.

As he went through college, Keith continued to learn, practice and play to become a better basketball player. It wasn’t long until an FBA talent scout came by one of his team’s games to see how the big fish performed. After the game, the scout and Keith’s coach tried to convince him to try out for the FBA. Initially Keith was doubtful, but eventually decided to do it. Because how else would Keith learn if he was just a big fish in a small pond, or if he was going would be a great contender in the FBA.