Ruoff settles in

No, Alex Ruoff didn't step off the plane and immediately take to his new surroundings in Belgium; far from it.

"If you were to call me in November, I'd have told you I'm ready to come home," said Ruoff by telephone in the city of Liege. "I've gotten used to it. I really like it now."

It took him a little while, but the 2005 Central High graduate has come to realize the perks that come with his current situation. He has had the opportunity to travel all over Europe. Oh yeah, and one other thing.

"Once I got over that, I realized I'm getting paid to do what I love," Ruoff said "My attitude changed. Now I couldn't be happier."

What he loves to do is play basketball. He did so at a high level for four years with the Bears, and then spent another four at the West Virginia University, starting at shooting guard for three seasons.

That led him to signing a one-year contract last summer with Belgacom Liege Basket, a professional team that competes in Basketball League Belgium as well as the EuroChallenge.

He arrived in mid-August, and outside of a five-day trip back home for Christmas, the former Spring Hill resident has spent his time on the other side of the Atlantic.

Between team road trips and vacations, he has already hit Croatia, England, France, Holland, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, and specifically visited London and Paris.

"This team being part of the EuroChallenge, that's (the travel involved) one of the reasons I chose this team and I'm so glad I did," Ruoff said. "It has been a great experience for me."

He said he has picked up a few words of French, the native language in Belgium, but often must get by with hand gestures. Due to the language barrier, he mostly hangs out with his team, which features four other American players.

A winning team

That team has performed well, amassing a 17-7 record heading into Saturday's action and holding steady atop the Basketball League Belgium standings.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Ruoff, now 23 years old, has played in 22 of those games, averaging 25.5 minutes per game, 8.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals. He has knocked down 31-of-91 three-pointers in those contests, hitting at 34.1 percent.

In 12 EuroChallenge tilts, he averaged 27.3 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals, while shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc (22-of-53). However, his team has been eliminated from the EuroChallenge, thus completing that portion of the schedule.

"We're actually doing really well. Better than anyone expected," Ruoff said. "We're one of the youngest teams in the league.

"...I really think I'm playing better, but at the same time I'm the only rookie on the team. It's similar to my freshman year of college. You've got to fit in before you can shine."

Ruoff said that while the college game he left behind features quicker and more athletic players, European basketball maintains a competitive edge thanks to the experience factor.

"Here I find myself playing against grown men," Ruoff said. "It's not necessarily the same speed, but the skill level is a lot higher."

After spending the early portion of the season coming off the bench, he has recently begun starting at small forward. As a result, his numbers have gradually improved.

Still, for someone who has played a pivotal part in his team's success on every previous level, blending in versus standing out doesn't totally feel comfortable.

"I'm not very satisfied with the role I'm playing, but it's the role my team needs me to play," Ruoff said. "I'd like to be performing better and contributing more, but we have a lot of good players and we're in first place."

He said he has already received an offer to return to the team next season. He won't make that decision immediately, waiting to see what kind of opportunities might crop up in the NBA summer leagues.

In the meantime he'd like to add to his resume by helping Liege Basket win a championship. His former team, West Virginia, nearly did the same reaching last weekend's NCAA Final Four.

The Mountaineers, who never advanced beyond the Sweet 16 during Ruoff's collegiate career, fell a game short of the national final in losing to eventual champ Duke, 78-57.

"I didn't miss a game," said Ruoff, who hooked his computer up to his big screen TV and held viewing parties, sometimes at 3 a.m. "My Mountaineers had a great season.

"...I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, if I had one more year. I miss college basketball. I miss Coach (Bob) Huggins. But I'm just happy for them. I'm not bitter, but it would have been nice to be a part of it."

BY THE NUMBERS: ALEX RUOFF IN EUROCHALLENGE
GP FG 3PT FTA FTM FT% TP AVG
12 41 22 24 18 75% 122 10.2

BY THE NUMBERS: ALEX RUOFF IN BASKETBALL LEAGUE BELGIUM
GP FG 3PT FTA FTM FT% TP AVG
22 61 31 27 22 82% 175 7.95