The Oregon State women’s basketball team will welcome Jenny Huth and former Beaver standout Deven Hunter to its coaching staff, head coach Scott Rueck announced Thursday.
“I am thrilled to welcome Jenny and Deven to the Oregon State women’s basketball family, and to the OSU community in general,” Rueck said. “Jenny is dynamic and brings a wealth of experience as both a player and a coach, along with knowledge and familiarity of the Pac-12 conference. Jenny is a winner, a true competitor, and is passionate about people, their growth, and teaching and strategizing the game at the highest level. Each day she brings an infectious energy and is someone I have long respected in our profession. I look forward to working with Jenny, and to Beaver Nation getting to know her. It is an honor to have her join our program!
“From the beginning of her time with the Beavers I knew Deven had the tools to be an outstanding coach. Her understanding of the game and overall savvy provides her the knowledge and awareness to be immediately impactful. Her passion for both people and the game are necessary qualities that put her over the top. As a player at Oregon State, Deven was a force on the court, made those around her better, and helped build this program into what it is today. Since her graduation, she has impressed me by consistently challenging herself, and finding opportunities to develop and grow as a person and a professional. The sky is the limit for Deven in our profession and I am excited to welcome her back home!”
Huth spent the last three seasons as head coach at Northern Colorado, leading the Bears to 48-41 record during her tenure. In her first year at UNC, the team went 21-11 and made an appearance in the WNIT. The Bears made the Big Sky Tournament semi-finals twice during Huth’s three seasons, and posted seven All-Big Sky selections over that span.
Prior to joining Northern Colorado, Huth spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA. She helped the Bruins post a mark of 148-85 from 2011-18, making four NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by an Elite Eight run in 2018. Before coming to UCLA, Huth made coaching stops as an assistant at Oakland University and as a graduate assistant at Florida State.
“My family and I are thrilled to make the move to Corvallis and back to the Pac-12, the No. 1 conference for women’s basketball,” Huth said. “I’m excited to be a part of Coach Rueck’s program and the tremendous success he has built at Oregon State. We cannot wait to integrate into this awesome basketball community and see Beaver Nation from the other side. To be at the top level of women’s basketball again is something I do not take for granted. I look forward to using what I’ve learned as a head coach and be an even better assistant. I’ve respected Coach Rueck and his staff from a far as well as up close; from top to bottom this is a great culture and I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the family. Let’s Go Beavs!”
A standout player for Colorado from 1998-02, Huth was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and helped guide the Buffaloes to the Elite Eight her senior season. She finished her career among the top 10 at CU in career scoring with 1,399 points, 3-pointers with 203 and 3-point shooting percentage at 40.7. Huth also helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2001 World University Games. Following her collegiate career, she played professionally in Spain and for the National Women’s Basketball League’s Colorado Chill. She will be joined in Corvallis by her husband Tracy and her two children: Tanner, 7, and Ellie, 2.
Hunter makes her return to Oregon State, where she played from 2012-2016. The Keizer, Ore. native spent the last two seasons at the University of San Diego, where she served as a graduate assistant. During her tenure, Hunter helped the Toreros reach a mark of 32-18, including an appearance in the WCC Championship game in 2020.
San Diego players earned a total of seven All-WCC honors during Hunter’s two seasons with the team. Before joining the Toreros, Hunter was worked at McNary High school, where she coaches basketball and worked as a classroom assistant in special education for three years.
“I’m excited be back with the Oregon State program,” Hunter said. “I know first-hand what it means to be part of the OSU Family, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with this outstanding group of coaches and student-athletes . The way Beaver Nation supports this team is second-to-none, and I can’t wait to get back to Corvallis in this new role.”
Hunter’s playing career at Oregon State was highlighted by some of the most successful campaigns in program history. Over the course of her four seasons, Hunter was part of two Pac-12 Championship winning squads, made the NCAA Tournament three times and was a key piece of OSU’s 2016 Final Four run. She played in all 135 of Oregon State’s games over the course of her career, making 132 starts. At the time of her graduation, Hunter was fourth in Beaver history and 31st in Pac-12 history with 893 career rebounds. She memorably knocked down five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Beavers overcome an 11-point deficit in the final seven minutes to take down Stanford at Gill Coliseum in 2016.
Following her graduation, Hunter played professionally in both Puerto Rico and Finland.
Oregon State finished the 2020-21 season 12-8 and made its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament. The Beavers won nine of their final 12 games, with their three defeats in that span all coming against opponents who made the Final Four.
Oregon State is one of the most successful women’s basketball programs of the last decade, having appeared in seven-straight NCAA Tournaments. That run includes four Sweet 16’s, two Elite Eight’s and a Final Four appearance in 2016.
