Initially expected to miss the entire 2023-24 campaign, Colorado men’s basketball guard Javon Ruffin is progressing well ahead of schedule from an offseason knee surgery.
Head coach Tad Boyle told BuffZone’s Pat Rooney that Ruffin returning to action later this season is now a possibility.
“He can do all the non-contact stuff right now,” Boyle told BuffZone. “He can run. He can do 5-on-0. He can do shooting. And he looks good. I hope we can get him back this year. We’ll see. I’m cautiously optimistic about it. But I have no time frame. It’s not going to be anything imminent.”
Ruffin suffered a knee injury late in his high school career and redshirted for the Buffs during his freshman season in 2021-22. Last year, the 6-foot-5 guard played in 24 games, averaging 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds. He also ranked second on the team with a 35.8% mark from 3-point land.
With his physical and mental strength coming back, Ruffin is hopeful that he can make an impact later this season.
“I think I just got to the point where my body was feeling good,” Ruffin told BuffZone. “And then a lot of it was mental, once I felt comfortable. It’s healing well and better than expected. With all that and hearing good stuff from the doctors, and feeling good, it gave me some confidence to try to step back out there.”
Colorado hosts Washington on Friday in its Pac-12 opener.
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