Javon Ruffin is settling into Boulder after growing up on the move

BOULDER — Javon Ruffin isn’t used to staying in one place.

“We were in Spain, Milwaukee, Chicago, Utah, Washington, Phoenix, we lived here for little bit in Denver,” Ruffin told DNVR. “We moved all over. I kind of got used to it.”

Ruffin, a freshman guard for at Colorado, is the son of a professional basketball player. Michael Ruffin, a Cherry Creek grad, was drafted by the Bulls in 1999. He retired from basketball in 2011, after stints with the Bulls, 76ers, Jazz, Wizards, Bucks, Trail Blazers and two Spanish teams.

Javon doesn’t have many memories of his dad’s professional career, but he’s seen the highlights.

“It would have been cool if I was a little older,” he said.

After the older Ruffin retired, he signed on as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he coached for six seasons.

“Louisiana, we were there for five, six years,” Ruffin said. “Honestly, at this point it feels weird to stay in one place for too long.”

Ruffin’s background made it easier for him to make the decision to move from New Orleans to Arizona for his senior year of high school.

“The competition there (in Louisiana) isn’t necessarily the greatest,” Ruffin said. “We lived in Phoenix before so I knew some people out there. They tried to get me to come to the prep school for freshman, sophomore year, too. Given all of the COVID circumstances and stuff, senior year was just the right time to get out there and play against some great competition to get ready for college.”

The competition that Ruffin mentioned is actually some of the best in the country.

Ruffin attended PHHoenix Prep, which is part of the Grind Session. The Grind Session is a league of prep schools from all corners of the U.S. and Canada that play a national schedule. Currently, 28 Grind Session alumni play in the NBA, including some of the biggest names in the sport, like DeAndre Ayton, Jamal Murray, Jayson Tatum and James Wiseman.

In his lone season, Ruffin was one of 41 players selected to play in the Grind Session All-Star Game.

Colorado signee Javon Ruffin is 📈📈📈! Led PHH Prep to a huge win over Hillcrest with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists @PhhPrep pic.twitter.com/aolBlpfMte

— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) February 11, 2021

In March, at the end of his senior season, Ruffin dislocated his kneecap and damaged some cartilage in his knee and needed surgery to repair it. He missed out on summer practices and didn’t get to play during CU’s tour of Costa Rica. He was cleared for live action in time for CU’s second preseason practice.

“It’s tough, obviously. We all want to get out there and compete and see how we can help the team,” Ruffin said. “You’ve just got to figure out what you can do off the court, whether it’s learning play or talking through stuff. You’ve just got to figure out how you can help the team off the court and be ready the best you can when you get back.”

Now that Ruffin is back on the court, he’s competing for playing time in a backcourt crowded with talented young players. The other freshmen have a leg up on Ruffin because he’s only been involved in just over a dozen practices since March.

At 6-foot-5, Ruffin could fit in at either guard spot. His dad, who played power forward and center, wants him to be a point guard.

“He just knows the game so well,” Ruffin said. “He understands it. He’s played it, played around great players. Now he’s coaching and helping teach other NBA high-level guys. It’s great to know that I have someone who I can trust and who knows the game.”

Right now, those high-level guys are Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, as Michael Ruffin joined the Phoenix Suns’ staff last month. While coaching some of the best players alive is complicated, his message to his son is simple.

“His thing is just to make sure I’m confident,” Ruffin said. “We’ve put in so much work over the years, getting up in the morning every day we’re getting in the gym. He knows that I’m ready. He knows that I have enough skill. Now it’s all about the mental and going as hard as I can every day.”

For the next four years, Ruffin will have a home in Boulder.