JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - It’s been an obstacle getting back on the hardwood for Daeshun Ruffin.

The 2021 McDonald’s All-American out of Callaway High School was the number one-ranked basketball recruit in the state of Mississippi.

In 2022, the Jackson native’s dynamic play caught the national eye as he burst onto the scene as an Ole Miss Rebel. Then, things took a turn for the worse.

The following season, Ruffin stepped away from the team and eventually found his way back home to the capital city. He jumped at the chance to play for NBA Champion Mo Williams and Jackson State men’s basketball.

Approaching the 2023-24 season, Ruffin was dealt a blow - suffering a season-ending injury before he could represent his hometown team and sport the famed JSU block.

Now, he’s back and was a full participant in Jackson State’s first official practice on Monday . He thanks his mom for getting him through the recovery process. He says he finally has peace.

“It’s been good,” Ruffin said. “I would say the most important thing about it is just peace. You know, being surrounded by my mom, family, friends, and everybody I grew up with, kind of made the process easier.”

Ruffin says it was Coach Williams who brought him back home, and it is Coach Williams who will take the star guard and the team forward as the Tigers aim for their first SWAC Tournament Championship victory since 2007.

“Everybody has the same mindset. I mean, I feel like everybody that’s new here, we got the same mindset to come and win, you know, doing something big for the state. I think that’s the biggest part, just everybody being on the same page. It’s also playing for Coach Williams, who’s, you know, been where I’m trying to go. So, just getting that experience, I mean, that’s the biggest part. And also playing at home, in front of my own family and everybody that I grew up around.”

Ruffin and the Tigers will take to the court of Jackson State’s Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center this upcoming season, but not before going on a season-opening 13-game away stretch, beginning with Houston on November 4.

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