Game day notes: Julian Hammond III trying to regain pre-injury form for CU Buffs
Jan. 20—It has been a slow re-acclimation for Julian Hammond III.
A sparkplug off the bench for much of the season, Hammond still is trying to regain his pre-injury form prior to missing two recent games due to a back injury. Hammond will look to get his shooting eye back on track on Saturday as the Colorado men's basketball team hosts Oregon State in the Beavers' final visit to Boulder as a Pac-12 Conference rival (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
"Julian's still working himself back into the groove," CU head coach Tad Boyle said following Thursday's win against Oregon. "Julian's a good player. He's going to play himself back into shape. We're going to need him at times. (Against Oregon) he wasn't at his best."
Through the season's first 14 games, Hammond shot .516 overall and .457 on 3-pointers while averaging 9.2 points per game. The backup guard from Cherry Creek had been trying to play through a back issue before missing the second half of a Jan. 4 loss at Arizona, and he missed the next two games.
Hammond returned for last week's win against USC but went 1-for-5 (0-for-2 3-pointers) with two points before playing a season-low 11 minutes, 20 seconds on Thursday against Oregon while going scoreless for the first time this season.
Ruff's return
This week, Boyle also commented on the status of another guard trying to regain his form after an injury, Javon Ruffin.
Ruled out for the season last summer, Ruffin made an unexpectedly early return from a knee injury when he made his season debut on Dec. 29 in a victorious Pac-12 opener against Washington. Ruffin played nearly 15 minutes in the following game against Washington State, and he topped 20 minutes during each game the next week in Arizona.
However, Ruffin played only two and a half minutes during CU's loss at California, and as the Buffs' return home coincided with a return to full health for the top seven players in the rotation, he didn't play at all last week against USC. Ruffin played less than a minute late in the first half against Oregon on Thursday, and he still is searching for the touch that led to a solid .358 mark on 3-pointers in 24 games last season.
In his limited appearances, Ruffin is shooting 5-for-17 overall (.294) and 1-for-9 from long range.
"He's been out for so long. It just takes time," Boyle said. "And obviously with (Hammond) being back, I never want to penalize kids for getting hurt. And we're going to need Ruff. He's an extra guy who can make a shot. He knows how to play. He's still working his way back."
Notable
CU stood at No. 38 in Saturday's NET rankings and began the day at No. 30 at KenPom.com. Oregon State began Saturday at No. 184 in the NET and No. 169 at KenPom. ... With five assists against Oregon on Thursday, CU guard KJ Simpson increased his career total to 274 and moved into 16th-place on the Buffs' career list. Simpson is tied for 19th on the all-time steals list with Chauncey Billups at 104. ... Jenny Cavnar and Matt Muehlebach will call the game on Pac-12 Network.
