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Ruoff Back in New Role

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: January 28, 2008

TAMPA – They cheered as he went by in the pre-game lay-up line. They roared every time he touched the ball, and jokingly jeered when he gave it up to a teammate. 'Give it to Alex' they cried over and over again.
Yep, Alex Ruoff had come home – or at least as close as he can on a college basketball court.
The 2005 Central High grad and his West Virginia University Mountaineers took on the University of South Florida in a recent Big East Conference battle at the St. Pete Times Forum.
His family, friends and local fans followed, tracking his every move.
"We don't get to see him very often," said former classmate Sara Tooman, sitting amongst a small Ruoff cheering section behind press row. "We're having a blast."
"It's a big event," said Jessica McNeil, a USF student and Central grad who grew up as a neighbor to Ruoff and sported a T-shirt dubbing her USF's Biggest Alex Ruoff Fan. "We prepare for it.
"When I lived across the street from him, he was always out there playing basketball, by himself or with a neighbor."
The son of Spring Hill's Kim Ruoff, the 6-foot-6 junior guard had a relatively quiet, yet solid day with 14 points, five assists, two steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Though only going 3-of-8 from the field, he knocked down two three-pointers, and went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the Mountaineers' 69-52 victory over the host Bulls.
"It was good. It was good," Ruoff said. "Could have shot the ball better but we played great. We had guys step up big.
"…I was real pumped for the game. I had like three shots before the first horn blew. I was excited to play; excited we got the win. I'm ready to go see my family."

Not like last time

Last time Ruoff and the Mountaineers came to Tampa, he was a freshman receiving scant minutes under then Head Coach John Beilein.
That season, Ruoff played in 21 games, scoring 20 points overall, less than his average over his final two years at Central.
The graduation of several starters opened the door for Ruoff to fill a far greater role as a sophomore. He started all 36 games for West Virginia, who finished 27-9 and won the NIT.
Ruoff averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, knocking down 69 three-pointers in shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc.
He also exhibited the same ball-handling skills that made him such a unique talent for his size in high school. He dished out 191 assists, third most for a single season in school history, and finished second in the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Playing a more traditional shooting guard role under new coach Bob Huggins, Ruoff has evolved into the Mountaineers' leading scorer at 16.1 points, along with 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.
He came shooting 51 percent from the field and 85 percent from the foul line. From the three-point line he had hit on 58 shots, a 45-percent clip.
"The transition (to Huggins) has been surprisingly good," Ruoff said. "I had my doubts at first. The type of players Huggins recruits; I didn't know how well I would do. But it's been great. He's a great coach. You see his passion so it's easy to feed off him.
"…I never reach my goals so I try not to set that many. But I'm just going to try to continue to progress, continue to get better. I'm real excited to play for Coach Huggins next year, as well. I'm looking forward to the off-season. Hopefully I'll come back even better next year."

Last visit…maybe

The Mountaineers were set to leave town shortly after the game, so Ruoff only had a few minutes to come back out to the court and greet those that came to see him.
"I might get probably like 10 minutes, try to see 100 people," Ruoff joked. "We'll see how that goes. Usually just high fives work, stay away from hugs."
Unfortunately, most won't get another chance to see him firsthand. West Virginia and USF will play in Morgantown next year, Ruoff's senior campaign.
However, the Forum will host first and second round NCAA Tournament games this March. The Mountaineers rose to 14-4 overall, 4-2 in conference play, with the win. They are among the others receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls.
"It's our first road (conference) win," Ruoff said. "That was huge for us. We've lost two in a row. It's real hard to win on the road in the Big East. We've got this thing rolling now. We're going to try to keep it going."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: ALEX RUOFF
- Compiled by CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.
Year GP FG 3PT FTA FTM FT% TP AVG
05-06 21 07 06 01 00 00% 20 0.95
06-07 36 123 69 70 56 80% 371 10.3
07-08 18 95 60 45 39 87% 289 16.1
TOTAL 75 225 135 116 95 82% 680 9.07

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at (352) 544-5288 or online at cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com

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