Recruiting Report: Justin Ruhberg (2017)
The St. Charles Saints have one one of the best teams in southern Minnesota. They got reinforcements in late-January when Justin Ruhberg made his return to the court. Ruhberg led the Saints in scoring as a junior and spent the…
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Continue ReadingThe St. Charles Saints have one one of the best teams in southern Minnesota. They got reinforcements in late-January when Justin Ruhberg made his return to the court.
Ruhberg led the Saints in scoring as a junior and spent the spring and summer playing grassroots with Minnesota Select but tore his ACL in July. Ruhberg isn’t quite in basketball shape yet, but presence makes the Saints a much more dangerous team.
“I’m starting out slow but working my way back into things,” said Ruhberg. “Getting some more playing time and getting my body back into basketball shape. Hoping to work my way to 100 percent as we get closer to playoffs.”
The Saints have held things together nicely without Ruhberg as guys like Kaden Vaughn, Carson Jenson and Keagan Maloney have stepped up. That’s made the rehab process – which Ruhberg said has been difficult at times – a little easier to handle.
“There are days where you get frustrated but that’s part of it and you have to work through it,” said Ruhberg. “We have a well-rounded team. We have some younger kids but also some guys that have a lot of experience. It’s encouraging to know that they are there to make plays. I know my time will come but if it takes a while, I can trust that those guys are going to play their best.”
Ruhberg is a dead-eye shooter and a solid defender. So even after his knee injury, many of the schools that were recruiting him last summer are still recruiting him.
“Most of the schools that were recruiting me when it happened stayed with me,” said Ruhberg. “They understand that it takes time.”
Ruhberg said Gustavus, Northwestern, Bethany Lutheran and University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse are the main schools he’s heard from. He’s taken visits and said he’s in the process of weighing all of his options but that he’d likely make his decision at the end of the basketball season.
With him back in the fold, the Saints hope to make that end of the season wait as long as possible.
“Our goal is still to make a run to the section championship,” said Ruhberg. “I think it’s one of the toughest sections we’ve had in awhile. It’s great competition. We’ll just have to take things one game at a time.”