Gonzaga men move into Top 10 in both polls

The Gonzaga men’s basketball team is back in the top 10 of both major polls released Monday, checking in at eighth in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 10th in the Associated Press poll.

It’s the first time since the Zags climbed all the way to No. 1 during the 2012-13 season that they’ve been in the top 10.

GU is 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 42.0 points per game, including a 16-point win over then-22nd-ranked SMU at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga travels away from home for the first time this season to take on Georgia at Madison Square Garden as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday. The game is schedule to tip at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Kentucky remains No. 1, followed Wisconsin, Arizona, Duke and North Carolina. Louisville, Texas, Virginia, Wichita State and Gonzaga round out the top 10.

Shock retain Ruffin

James Ruffin, who was honored as the 2014 AFL Defensive Lineman of the Year, will return to Spokane for the 2015 season, the team announced.

Ruffin set a franchise record with 14 sacks last season and was named first-team All-AFL. The Northern Iowa product also has the Shock record for career sacks with 26 in three seasons. Ruffin joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in training camp following the AFL season, but was released in late August.

“There aren’t many players out there, at any level, like James Ruffin,” Shock coach Andy Olson said. “During his time here in Spokane he has been a model example of what it means to be a leader both on the field and in our community.”

Eagles Hill honored

Eastern Washington junior wide receiver/kickoff returner Shaq Hill is the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week thanks to his 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in EWU’s 56-34 title-clinching football win at Portland State last Friday.

Hill shares the honor with North Dakota kicker Reid Taubenheim.

Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson and Idaho State running back Daniel McSurdy are the Offensive Players of the Week. Griz safety Matt Hermanson is Defensive Player of the Week.