Ruiz, Knights hoops hard to stop
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Kathy Ruiz was hard to stop as a sophomore.
After two more years of work, it’s getting difficult to find a way to stop the West Windsor-Plainsboro North senior. Even getting sick at the start of the season did little to slow her offensive production.
”The first two or three games she was fighting a viral infection,” said North head coach Bob Boyce. “She was still scoring consistently, but some other aspects were affected, like her stamina.”
Nothing else has slowed Ruiz either. A nightmare matchup, Ruiz has quickness that makes it hard on taller, slower girls and size that makes it difficult on shorter, quicker girls to stop inside. As a sophomore, Ruiz made a living in the post. She has more to offer now.
”That used to be my strength,” Ruiz said. “I’m trying to incorporate some other things to make me more well-rounded.
”I’ve always tried to extend my range. This year, I actually played for a nationally ranked AAU team. They didn’t need any help down low so they just had me outside shooting. I’ve been scoring a lot more from outside. We went all the way down to Florida for a national tournament. They had me shooting all day long.”
Ruiz has been tough to stop from all angles. And since recovering from her illness, she has been even better. The active forward scored 19 points in a 54-37 win over Hamilton on Tuesday, 28 in a 58-38 win over Lawrenceville on Wednesday and 19 in a 49-36 win over Lawrence on Friday. North has not lost in five straight games. The three wins last week pushed the Knights over .500 for the first time this season at 7-4.
Kathy Ruiz is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”One consistent thing has been Kathy’s scoring,” Boyce said. “Each year, you go with what your strengths are. I redesigned a lot of our offensive patterns to get her the ball where she needs to get it. The team knows she’s our best scorer. They look to set her up.
”She also does a lot on her own. She’s a very good rebounder. If you don’t box her out, she’ll get rebound and put it up and get a three-point play the old-fashioned way.”
The Knights know they can count on Ruiz for a basket in big spots. They just don’t want her to force her offense.
”One thing I try to tell her not to do is go one-on-one like a guard,” Boyce said. “‘They’re already keying on you. They have a defender on you and help-side defending her. You’re a slasher.’ If there is a seam, she’s quick to the basket. We try to work her off screens. Against zones, she’ll work on the baseline. We’ll pop her off screens. We always say, ‘Let us set you up.’”
After two seasons as a consistent scorer, and going last year as the main scorer as well for the Knights, Ruiz is used to the pressure associated with her role. And she recognizes that other teams know as well.
”In past years, we’ve had stronger players like Brooke Wiener,” Ruiz said. “She was a big presence. Now that she graduated, we needed someone to step up and fill that leadership role.
”I think at this point I’ve established my place on my team and made my presence known,” she added. “Teams do incorporate some type of defense to stop me. They always switch it up. Sometimes it’s man to man. Sometimes they pack a zone and take away the middle. I have to adjust my game according to what they give me.”
The Knights still get plenty of offense from their own defense. Their pressing style, in which Ruiz plays on the second line in an interceptor role, results in some easy opportunities.
”We aren’t the biggest team,” Ruiz admitted. “We have to work off our speed and quickness.”
On offense, the Knights do a good job of recognizing that a good way to score is through Ruiz. At the same time, Ruiz knows she is benefiting from a solid supporting cast that, when healthy, makes her job a lot easier.
”She knows that,” Boyce said. “She’s only as good as when they’re a threat. If you go box-and-one or pack in a zone, that’s when (Megan) Pisani and (Deeksha) Taneja start hitting the three-ball and lately Erin Egan has been coming around. The better they are, the easier it is for Kathy.
”We have a little more balance,” he added. “If Kathy only scores 10, the others have been picking it up. Two others will score 10.”
With Pisani back in the lineup and Ruiz fully recovered from her infection, the Knights have started to click. They put together a five-game winning streak.
”We’re doing pretty well,” said Ruiz, who had 21 points as the Knights extended their win streak to six with a 73-43 win over Ewing on Tuesday. “We’re feeling a little confident.
”It’s hard to keep your head up and keep going when the teams are hard. It’s hard to keep your head up over water. Boyce always says, ‘Go 1-0.’ We take every night as an individual game and go from there. We don’t look ahead or behind us. We just focus on what’s going at the time.”
Ruiz is especially focused this year. Despite her high-scoring game and having played for the Capital City AAU team that finished third at nationals, Ruiz expects to pass on the Division III offers she has received to study elsewhere and discontinue her playing career. That makes this season special.
”I think when you’re a senior, you start playing with an extra hunger,” Ruiz said. “You know it’s your last year, so you want to give it all you have.”
She aims to continue her play as of late, maybe even try to improve on it. That promises to make things even tougher on Knight opponents as they count down the days until Ruiz’s graduation.
”I’ve been trying my hardest,” Ruiz said. “It’s been working out certainly.”