The unsure standing of injured redshirt freshman RJ Smith has trimmed the backcourt depth of the Colorado males’s basketball staff.
A potential reinforcement could be on the best way from an surprising supply.
Injured guard Javon Ruffin not too long ago returned to observe in a non-contact capability, and if his fast restoration from offseason knee surgical procedure continues unabated, he might be within the combine down the stretch for the Buffaloes.
“He can do all of the non-contact stuff proper now,” CU head coach Tad Boyle mentioned. “He can run. He can do 5-on-0. He can do taking pictures. And he seems to be good. I hope we are able to get him again this yr. We’ll see. I’m cautiously optimistic about it. However I’ve no timeframe. It’s not going to be something imminent.”
Ruffin is a flexible 6-foot-5 guard with the potential to be one of many prime 3-point shooters on a staff off to a sizzling begin from the arc. However Ruffin’s CU profession has been marked by persistent bother together with his proper knee.
Injured on the finish of his highschool profession, Ruffin endured surgical procedure within the late spring of 2021 and went via one other minor process within the fall of his freshman season at CU, in the end redshirting.
Ruffin returned final yr and performed in 24 video games (two begins), posting 6.0 factors and a couple of.4 rebounds in a mean of 14.6 minutes per sport. He shot .358 on 3-pointers, rating second on the staff behind Tristan da Silva (.394). The knee ache, nevertheless, by no means utterly went away. Ruffin missed 4 video games in January and, after returning to the rotation for 5 video games, Ruffin’s knee sidelined him for the ultimate seven video games. Including to Ruffin’s frustration was that his solely two back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts of the season occurred within the ultimate two video games earlier than every of his journeys to the injured checklist.
Ruffin endured additional knee surgical procedure after the season, and each Boyle and Ruffin mentioned final summer time that he did not plan to play in 2023-24. Nonetheless, Ruffin’s restoration has progressed forward of the preliminary prognosis, leaving the door open to a return in some unspecified time in the future throughout Pac-12 play.
“I believe I simply received to the purpose the place my physique was feeling good,” Ruffin mentioned. “After which loads of it was psychological, as soon as I felt comfy. It’s therapeutic properly and higher than anticipated. With all that and listening to great things from the docs, and feeling good, it gave me some confidence to attempt to step again on the market.
“Truthfully, for essentially the most half, I’d say it feels higher than at another time that I’ve been right here.”
Ruffin nonetheless has not been cleared for full-contact exercises, so any potential comeback seemingly won’t occur as quickly as CU’s Pac-12 opener at dwelling in opposition to Washington on Friday (7 p.m., ESPNU). And as soon as he’s cleared, it stays to be seen how Ruffin would possibly match into the rotation.
With CU’s offense rolling and Cody Williams anticipated again within the close to future from a wrist damage that has stored him sidelined the previous three video games, it’s unlikely an enormous reserve position might be obtainable. Nonetheless, Smith averaged about 12 backcourt minutes off the bench via the primary seven video games, and the same position might be obtainable for both Ruffin or Smith.
Smith has missed the previous 4 video games attributable to a decrease leg subject, and Boyle mentioned this previous week additional readability on Smith’s standing gained’t be obtainable till after the vacations.
Regardless, even having the chance to return has left Ruffin in an appreciative temper for the vacations.
“Accidents are onerous. Having so many back-to-back, it’s been since highschool since I may actually play with out ache. That’s been actually onerous mentally,” Ruffin mentioned. “Since we deliberate on coming again subsequent season and stuff, and now I’ve an opportunity, it offers me loads of hope that that is what we would have liked to essentially get me on the market. It simply feels good to do what I really like in full.”
