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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 4 teams for 4-star SG Jovani Ruff

Jovani Ruff is one of the top shooting guards in the 2025 NCAA Basketball recruiting class. Which teams are in the running for his services?
February 22, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Mark Madsen instructs against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 22, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Mark Madsen instructs against the Oregon State Beavers during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Jovani Ruff is one of the top shooting guards in the 2025 NCAA Basketball recruiting class. Which teams are in the running for his services?

One of the top NCAA Basketball prospects out of the state of California is Jovani Ruff, a 6'5 shooting guard/wing in the 2025 recruiting class. He's a quality offensive player with good size and an all-around game. As a consensus four-star prospect, Ruff is currently ranked in the top 50 overall and has several quality options in the mix.

In fact, we're down to four teams for Ruff, who reportedly is deciding in the next few days on June 5th. Here's a closer look at how he'd fit with each of the options.

Cal Bears

Coach Mark Madsen and Cal is in the ACC now and has a completely new roster to work with. On the wing includes former top-30 prospect Andrei Stojakovic from Stanford, as well as former Minnesota guard, Joshua Ola-Joseph. The guys on this roster have at least two more years left so Ruff would have to wait at least a year to likely be part of the rotation. But after seeing the work the team did with Jaylon Tyson this past season, it could be worth the wait.

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas landed some big-name transfers on the wing this offseason, including AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, and Zeke Mayo. They also have incoming four-star forward Rakease Passmore joining them as well. This is an option that has plenty of risk since they'll over-recruit players via the portal but they're also a premier program that sends players to the pros. One factor here is how long Coach Bill Self will be around, as it seems unlikely he'll be around for all four years for Ruff.

Oregon Ducks

The Ducks already have a class of 2025 guard commit in Isaac Carr. The team is losing several senior guards after next season, including TJ Bamba, Ra'Heim Moss, and Keeshawn Barthelemy. So Ruff could find a role for himself early on (unless they get some transfers) and Coach Dana Altman has consistent history of both winning and development.

USC Trojans

New HC Eric Musselman landed 10 transfers this offseason, most of them being upperclassmen. So guys like Chibuzo Agbo, Saint Thomas, and Xavier transfer Desmond Claude likely won't be around by the time Ruff comes around. They do have four-star freshman wings Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley, who followed Musselman over from their previous commitments to Arkansas.

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Between USC being the "local" option for Ruff and there being a reported family connection to Musselman, this could emerge as the top option for the prospect. We'll know in less than a week his decision but the Trojans do stand out on paper.