HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Head Coach of the High Point University men's basketball team, Flynn Clayman, has announced the hiring of assistant coach Jorge Ruiz for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
 
Ruiz joins the Panthers after spending eight seasons on the men's basketball staff at Weber State. The 2025-26 season was his fourth year as an assistant coach while also being the Assistant General Manager for Wildcat basketball. 

Ruiz worked alongside 9x NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, who was the General Manager at Weber State. 

"It was a pleasure working with Jorge" Lillard stated. "Not just in his role as Assistant GM and Assistant Coach but in the day to day every time I came to Weber to train for periods of time. Everything was always organized and done properly. He is a high quality human being in all ways!" 

In January 2026, Ruiz was named the Assistant General Manager of Wildcat basketball. In his role, he worked closely with General Manager Damian Lillard and head coach Eric Duft on roster construction, recruiting, player evaluation, NIL and transfer portal coordination, and strengthening relationships with alumni, supporters, and recruits. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Jorge Ruiz to the HPU family and our men's basketball program," HPU Men's Basketball Head Coach Flynn Clayman. "I've had the opportunity to watch Jorge play a major role in transforming relatively unknown players into NBA draft picks, and his proven expertise in player development will have an immediate, significant impact on our program. Beyond that, Jorge truly embodies HPU's core values and will serve as an outstanding mentor and resource for our players both on and off the court."

Ruiz was named an assistant coach at Weber State in May 2022 after serving as the Director of Operations at Weber State for the previous three seasons, and one season as the Video Coordinator.  

In his four seasons as an assistant coach, he has been a part of over 60 wins with the Wildcats and coached seven players to All-Big Sky honors, including one conference MVP, and an NBA Draft pick in Dillon Jones. He also coached Blaise Threatt to All-Big Sky first team honors in 2025, and Tijan Saine Jr. to first team honors in 2026.

During the 2023-24 season, Ruiz helped lead Weber State to a 20-win season, including a road win at No. 23 Saint Mary's, WSU's first win against a ranked opponent in 23 years. Weber State also beat NCAA Tournament teams Yale and South Dakota State during the season.   

He also helped lead Weber State's Dillon Jones to Big Sky MVP honors and first-team All-District and All-Big Sky honors. Jones was also a top-five finalist for the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in the country. 

During his first season as an assistant coach, 2022-23, he helped the Wildcats to an 18-win season and a semifinal appearance in the Big Sky Tournament.

He joined the Wildcats in the 2018-19 season as the video coordinator, then spent the next four seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations where he assisted the program in all areas, including travel and scheduling. 

Ruiz graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2018 as a double major with degrees in communications and sociology. While at Grand Canyon, he was a student manager with the Antelopes basketball team and head coach Dan Majerle. 

He also spent the 2017 season as an assistant boys basketball coach at Rancho Cucamonga High School. From 2014-16 Ruiz was a student manager at Arizona State under head coaches Herb Sendek and Bobby Hurley. 

He also worked during the summer in the Adidas Basketball Circuit and worked basketball camps at BYU, UNLV, Adidas Nations, and Nike Skills Academy. 

Ruiz is a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California and graduated from Rancho Cucamonga High School in 2014. 

What they're saying about Ruiz:

"Jorge Ruiz is a home-run hire! He is a relentless recruiter, tireless worker, and is highly committed to those he works with. Jorge's level of professionalism and detail put him on a different level.  The admiration I have for him when it comes to impacting players both on and off the court is high level.  High Point is getting something special." -Phil Beckner, NBA Player Development Coach 

"Jorge is the kind of leader who shows up, puts in the work, and genuinely cares about the people he represents. I've always respected his care factor. I've seen his dedication firsthand, and I know he'll bring integrity, passion, and the ability to fill a lot of different roles. He's like super glue" - Dillon Jones, 2024 NBA 1st Round Draft Pick