The most successful coach in Oregon State women’s basketball history has agreed to a new contract that will run through the 2026-27 season, as OSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes announced a new five-year extension for four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year Scott Rueck on Tuesday.
“Coach Rueck has done a phenomenal job creating a top tier program on a national scale,” Barnes said. “His commitment to his alma mater and love for Beaver Nation is displayed every day as he works to develop the young women in his program on and off the floor. I want to congratulate Coach Rueck on his incredibly successful tenure and we look forward to many more great moments under his long-term leadership.”
In addition to his conference honors, Rueck has been a Naismith Trophy National Coach of the Year finalist the last two seasons. The Oregon State graduate has led the Beavers to three consecutive Pac-12 titles, as OSU joined Stanford as the only team in conference history to accomplish that feat. Rueck also helped the Beavers snap an 18-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2013-14, and Oregon State has since proceeded to make the tournament in four-straight seasons, including back-to-back Sweet 16 runs and a Final Four appearance in 2016.
The Beavers have become a staple of the national rankings over the last three seasons, as Rueck has guided the team to a 90-15 record since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. Oregon State peaked in the 2015-16 WBCA/USA Today postseason poll, coming in at No. 2. Rueck’s ability to develop talent has translated to the professional ranks as well, as Sydney Wiese, Ruth Hamblin and Jamie Weisner have all been selected in the WNBA Draft over the last two years, making Oregon State one of five programs in the nation to have three players taken in the first two rounds over that span.
“I am thankful to President Ed Ray, Athletic Director Scott Barnes and Deputy Athletic Director Marianne Vydra for their strong support and commitment to our vision,” Rueck said. “It is a privilege to represent Oregon State and Beaver Nation, and to be part of a university I believe in with all my heart. These first seven years have been incredible and I am excited to see how many people our program can continue to impact moving forward. I know that the Oregon State women’s basketball team has much more to accomplish, and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Rueck has the highest winning percentage of any coach in Oregon State history, coming away victorious in 65.3 percent of his team’s contests for an overall record of 153-81. The three-time WBCA Region Coach of the Year has been known for teaching outstanding team defense, as Oregon State has allowed just 56.4 points per game during his seven seasons.
Off the floor, Rueck’s teams have consistently excelled both in the classroom and in the community. The Beavers have earned 27 Pac-12 All-Academic individual honors over the last seven seasons, including a program record seven in 2016. Wiese became the first Oregon State athlete to win the Senior CLASS Award last season, after Hamblin had been named a Senior CLASS Award All-American the year prior. Wiese and Hamblin were also named Pac-12 Scholar Athletes of the Year in 2017 and 2016, respectively, as Oregon State joined Stanford as the only teams to have players take the honor in consecutive seasons.
A 1991 OSU graduate, with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science and a ’92 master’s degree recipient in physical education, Rueck has a career win-loss mark of 441-169. He spent 14 seasons at George Fox University and led the Bruins to seven NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and the 2009 National Championship.
Photo Courtesy OSU Athletics
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