Published: March 10, 2009 12:45 am      

Ruoff gets Sportsmanship Award

MORGANTOWN — Alex Ruoff of the West Virginia University men’s basketball team was named Monday as recipient of the Big East Sportsmanship Award for 2008-09.

The 6-6 senior guard from Spring Hill, Fla, was selected on the basis of his performances both on and off the court as an exemplary student-athlete.

Ruoff helped the Mountaineers to a 21-10 record, including 10-8 in the Big East, and a seventh-place finish in the conference standings. He has averaged 15.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

As a top-flight shooter from 3-point range, he has scored 80 goals from behind the arc and recently tied the school record for most 3-pointer in a career. He has 253, the same total of former teammate Kevin Pittsnogle.

Ruoff is the only player from the Big East to make the Academic All-America first team. It is selected by ESPN The Magazine in conjunction with the College Sports Information Directors Association.

He also received honorable mention in the All-Big East selections by the league’s 16 head coaches.

“This is a good honor, I guess,” Ruoff said before Monday afternoon’s practice session. “But I wasn’t going for it. I was just trying to be a nice guy on the court and not trying to elbow anybody or hurt anybody.”

Coach Bob Huggins said, “Without question, he’s deserving of the award. He’s a great kid on the floor and off the floor, and he’s a great student. He’s also very much involved in the community (to promote) good causes.

“Not only in Morgantown but throughout the state, he has done a lot of good.”

Huggins also expressed praise for junior Da’Sean Butler who made the All-Big East second team and freshman Devin Ebanks, who made the All-Big East Rookie Team.

“Da’Sean would have been worthy of the first team,” the veteran coach said. “But I think it’s a great honor for him. It’s a great honor for Devin (Ebanks), too.

I think (freshman) Kevin Jones had to be close – somewhere real close – to the Top 5 (rookie selections).

“Devin has just gotten better and better. In Big East games, I think he’s averaging about 11 points and eight rebounds. That’s pretty good for anybody.”

Rouff said he has tried to get over Saturday night’s disappointing defeat in which he was held scoreless by Louisville, which won 62-59 and claimed the 2009 regular-season Big East championship.

“It was one of the worst games of my career. But you’ve got to put it behind you in time, and we play Wednesday in the Big East Tournament.”

West Virginia, seeded No. 7, is expected to play Notre Dame again at 7 p.m.. Wednesday – that is, unless the Irish are upset by Rutgers Tuesday night. Notre Dame is seeded 10th and the Scarlet Knights 15th.

The Mountaineers own victories over both of those teams this season.

“Notre Dame is pretty desperate, and they’d be a tough team,” Ruoff said. “If they beat Rutgers, they will be coming after us. They probably want to win a couple more to get into the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t know if I like the (projected) match-up, but that’s the way the Big East is this time of the year. It’s going to be real tough for a team to go all five days. So getting a bye was one of our short-time goals”

Incidentally, Ruoff believes West Virginia is capable of winning the tournament. He’s anticipating victories over Notre Dame and then old rival Pitt en route to Saturday night’s championship contest.