Ruggles ready for 3-point repeat attempt
(Editor's note: The following item about Josh Ruggles appeared in the Daily Herald's DuPage County edition on Thursday. On Saturday, the Wheaton resident repeated as champion of the Spanish League's "Concurso de Triples" in Vitorio. Seeded No. 1 after each of the qualifying rounds, in the finals the Wheaton Warrenville South senior again defeated Real Madrid's Jaycee Carroll, 25-21. As seen in the highlight video, this year Ruggles hoisted a trophy, not a brick.)
All in all, it's not just another brick on Josh Ruggles' wall.
It is odd that the winner of a high-profile basketball shooting contest is awarded the physical embodiment of poor shooting touch, but such was the spoils of Ruggles winning the Spanish League's 2013 Three-Point Contest in Vitoria-Gasteiz last September.
Also, the sound of jaws hitting the floor and teenage girls clicking cellphone cameras after a 16-year-old beat the likes of North Carolina State career 3s leader Scott Wood; former Chicago Bull Andres Nocioni; and in the final, two-time Spanish League scoring leader and Utah State 3s leader Jaycee Carroll.
(The winner was eligible for a prize of 4,000 euros, but to retain Ruggles' amateur status the Asociacion Clubs de Baloncesto instead donated the money to Philippines typhoon victims.)
Now the boy with the brick is back to help celebrate Supercopa, the Spanish league's kickoff tournament.
Last year Ruggles earned the ACB's invite after video of his August 2013 world-record 135 3-pointers in 5 minutes went viral. The ACB couldn't help but invite him again, and the Wheaton Warrenville South senior is in Spain right now, preparing to defend his brick, er, crown.
Though not a Tri-Cities lad, readers and particularly prep basketball fans may be familiar with Ruggles. For the prior two years he played guard for Wheaton Academy, which faced a steady diet of Marmion, Aurora Central, Aurora Christian and St. Francis in the Suburban Christian Conference. He also played on the same AAU team, Mercury Elite, as Geneva's Nate Navigato and Bartlett's Ryan DiCanio. Ruggles transferred to WW South before this school year.
He is hoping to ease into Saturday's contest in Spain.
"I'll probably just be walking around some, experiencing the different culture. They've got some stores and stuff that I remember from last year," the 17-year-old said Wednesday before leaving with his parents, Dave and Holly.
Dave Ruggles said the ACB may attempt a full-court media press, but Josh will try to calmly shake off jet lag before Thursday and Friday shootarounds.
Last year was a whirlwind especially coming off the video of his 3-point record, accomplished at Wheaton Academy.
"Last year was just really stressful," he said. "It was fun after I won but I didn't enjoy the experience as much as I wanted to. This year I'm going back and I obviously want to win again, but I know there's a lot of excuses I could make that I don't want to make."
Chiefly, he means coming off a broken bone in his right shooting hand. The Ruggles don't know exactly how it happened, narrowing it down to an August pickup game. For weeks it wiped out Josh's practice of 500 shots a day, though he blew off steam by shooting with his left. He is still not cleared for contact but is healthy enough to jack up 400 righty shots before the hand starts getting sore.
"I've had about a week and a half where I've had good shots, probably three, four days where I'm taking them from 22 feet," said Ruggles, who has offers from Hillsdale, Ferris State and Grace College. He made 21 of 25 the first time he shot from 3-point range.
Win or lose, this year he plans to stop and smell the rosas and make more memories.
"I think I'll be disappointed if I lose," he said, "but I'll enjoy that trip more. Whatever happens I still have the brick in my room."
Coach to Cure MD
Aurora Central Catholic football coach Brian Casey told us the Chargers were again participating in the seventh annual Coach to Cure MD program during the Chargers' home football game Friday against IC Catholic Prep.
This is the fourth year Aurora Central Catholic joined the nationwide event, a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest national charity devoted exclusively to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
ACC's effort again has a personal touch. Sophomore Logan Mitzel, a 15-year-old with Duchenne, reprised last year's role as an honorary team captain for the coin toss. Casey said good ol' No. 86 also was slated to join the Chargers on the sideline during Friday's game.
His teammates voted Logan with the 2013 Charger Award for courage and determination. He's got a 4.19 grade-point average that ranks third in his class. Being a 15-year-old boy he probably thinks his 11-month reign as ACC football's "Mario Kart" champion is more important.
Last year 620 college and high school football teams and 11,367 coaches participated in Coach to Cure MD. Aurora Central Catholic, Hinsdale Central and Jacobs contributed to the effort.
The ACC game has come and gone but donation opportunities remain. The simplest is to text CURE to 90999 to make a one-time $5 donation.
Catching up with ... Ellie Dunn
Kaneland's 6-foot senior outside hitter Ellie Dunn did not get the volleyball gene from her father, Jeff, or her mother, Tammie. Dad was a baseball player, mom a swimmer.
Older sister Ashley was the inspiration.
"I thought I might give it a try," Ellie said.
The decision to switch from basketball to full-time volleyball has resulted in two all-conference seasons, the usual globe-hopping club volleyball scene and a verbal commitment to play at Ball State. Following Thursday's 13-dig effort in a two-set win over Aurora Christian, Dunn leads the Knights in kills and digs.
The former West Chicago resident moved to Sugar Grove before entering seventh-grade; she also switched from Kane County Jrs. volleyball club to Club Fusion-Marengo last fall. At Kaneland she's played for four coaches - "a fun mix-up," she said, of Kevin Larson, Todd Weimer, Kerri McCastland and now Cynthia Violett.
Q: Has playing for four different high school coaches been difficult?
A: It's hard at first but everyone has to make the transition anyway, whether you're going from middle school to high school, high school to college, whatever. I just had to make the transition earlier ... I think you get to see all four coaches' perspectives of how the game is played. I think it's really interesting to have four different views of it.
Q: You got moved up to varsity as a sophomore; what did they see in you?
A: At that point I think it was more of my height for a right-side (hitter) that they needed. I want to say that it was because I was doing well, I hope. But I thought that he (Weimer) saw my drive to be better.
Q: What's so special about volleyball that made you specialize in it?
A: I definitely am not really into the whole contact sports thing, that's why I veered away from basketball. But I like that it's physical and you need to have a certain strength and power type to be able to excel. I think it's just a whole different game than any other sport.
Q: What's your vertical leap?
A: About 10-1 (10 feet, 1 inch).
Q: Ever been injured?
A: Yeah, I've definitely twisted ankles, but I think my worst injury up to date was my sophomore-year club season. In one of the tournaments I landed on a girl's foot and tore all my ligaments in my left ankle. I was in a boot for two months.
Q: Complete the following statement: "Don't tell my coach that ...":
A: I do not like running the mile before practice every day. It's a struggle, but we get through it.
Q: What kind of movies do you like?
A: I like your typical girlie romantic movies. But also I really like action movies because my brother (Greg) likes them a lot so we go see a ton of movies together.
Q: Any recent favorites?
A: I definitely like "The Fault in Our Stars," I definitely liked that one. It was so sad.
Q: Let's conclude with volleyball. What's your biggest skill on the court?
A: I hope that it is being a six-rotation player. I hope other people think that.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com
Follow Dave on Twitter @doberhelman1