Daeshun Ruffin to miss Ole Miss' season opener after suffering a 'setback' in exhibition
Three days after the Ole Miss men’s basketball team became whole again after missing key pieces from the start of last season through summer and preseason camp it is now missing another major piece once again.
Sophomore guard Daeshun Ruffin suffered a bone bruise against West Georgia in Ole Miss’ exhibition on Tuesday and will miss Monday’s season opener against Alcorn State.
Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis noted the injury occurred when Ruffin went up for a layup and a West Georgia defender set up to try and draw a charge and Ruffin landed “awkwardly,” according to Davis. Ruffin continued playing and started the second half.
The Callaway standout played 17 minutes and finished with six points, two rebounds and six assists.
“He had a setback Tuesday,” Davis said on Friday. “The MRI was negative but he has a bone bruise. He’ll be out for Monday, be evaluated week-to-week on how he’s doing. Everything, structurally, the ACL, all the ligaments were good but it is a bone bruise.”
Ruffin got up on Wednesday morning with a lot of stiffness in his leg which led to getting it examined.
This is the second injury issue Ruffin has deal with to start the season after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the preseason. Prior to this knew injury that will keep him out to star the season Ruffin was trying to return after suffering an ACL injury in late January.
Ruffin had surgery on it in early February and was cleared for full contact in practice on Oct. 8, just eight months later.
“We’ve been doing this for a while. I feel bad for Daeshun, I really do,” Davis said. “I feel bad for him. He’s worked like heck to get back and was so excited about starting that game. Now he’s got a setback.”
Unfortunately Ole Miss is no stranger to losing point guards to injury, specifically Ruffin.
Throughout summer during the Rebels trip to the Bahamas and in the closed preseason scrimmage Ruffin was unavailable.
Not that Ole Miss wanted to be prepared for situations such as more injuries but a dress rehearsal of sorts has been done, providing some preparedness come Monday’s opener.
Davis will now turn to junior Matthew Murrell and freshmen Amaree Abram and TJ Caldwell to provide valuable minutes for Ole Miss at point guard.
Murrell played the position often during the three-game trip to the Bahamas in July.
“All three of those guys got a lot of reps in the summer with that,” Davis said. “So it’s a lot now on some young guards and then Matt. I think it’s helped Matt. He had to play so much of it this summer I think it’s helped him. Those are things we got work around, for sure.”
In Tuesday’s exhibition Abram played 19 minutes and finished with two points, three rebounds and six assists. Caldwell played 15 minutes and finished with four points, five boards and three assists.
Ole Miss hosts Alcorn State on Monday at 8 p.m. CT to open the 2022-23 season.
