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Women's Hoops and Saint Mary's to Rematch in Second Round of WNIT
• 2012 Pac-12 Media Coach of the Year • 2009 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year • NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2010) • Northwest Conference Coach of the Year (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) • Four NAIA All-Americans • Four NCAA All-Americans • 33 All-Northwest Conference Selections • 2009 NCAA Division III Championship • Three Elite 8 Appearances • Five Sweet 16 Contests • Seven Northwest Conference Championships • Seven Top 25 national rankings (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) • 14 straight winning seasons (1996-2010) • Inducted into the George Fox Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 • Six All-Pac-12 Selections
It was a homecoming of sorts for Scott Rueck, who was named the fifth head coach in the history of the Oregon State women's basketball program on June 30, 2010. He begins his third season at the helm of the program.
With another young squad in 2011-12 picked to finish last in the inaugural Pac-12 Conference, Rueck and the Beavers defied the odds again, finishing fifth in the conference with a 9-9 mark, including a sweep of Oregon and Washington. The achievement earned Rueck Pac-12 Coach of the Year, as voted on by the conference media. Additionally, the team earned a WNIT berth, advancing to the Sweet 16 with wins over UC Davis and Saint Mary's in Gill Coliseum. Senior Earlysia Marchbanks was named All-Pac-12, while freshman Ali Gibson earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Freshman. Junior Patricia Bright rounded out the conference award receiving group with Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors.
In his inaugural year as head coach of the Beavers, Rueck led the inexperienced squad to a 9-21 record with only one player with NCAA Division I level experience. With a lot of question marks prior to the first tipoff, the Beavers captured their first win in the season opener over Long Beach State en route to a 7-4 non-conference finish. Oregon State battled to close losses to open Pac-10 play before earning its first conference win over Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena. Shortly after, the Beavers claimed their second Pac-10 victory at home in legendary Gill Coliseum in what is believed to be the biggest come-from-behind victory in program history, overcoming a 20-point deficit to win 61-59 over Oregon in the second Civil War meeting. Rueck coached two All-Pac-10 honorees in senior El Sara Greer and redshirt sophomore Sage Indendi, an All-Pac-10 Defensive Team selection in Greer and a Pac-10 All-Freshman Team recipient in Alyssa Martin.
In addition, Rueck individually was inducted into the George Fox Sports Hall of Fame, as well as his 2000-01 squad also being included on the inductee list.
Rueck came to Oregon State after spending the past 14 seasons serving as the head women's basketball coach at George Fox, compiling a career 288-88 (.766) record. Under his watch, the Bruins recorded winning seasons each year, winning the Division III National Championship in 2009. Rueck has led his squads to five "Sweet 16" appearances, three "Elite 8" contests, six NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and seven Northwest Conference Championships.
"Coach Rueck brings an impressive set of credentials to the position, including a NCAA national championship," De Carolis said. "As a native Oregonian and Beaver alumnus, he has an extensive network of relationships that have been built over the years. He has earned the respect of the basketball community in the Northwest through hard work and integrity and we look forward to him leading our program."
During his time as head coach, Rueck has coached four NAIA All-Americans, four NCAA All-Americans and 33 All-Northwest Conference honorees. Individually, he has been named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2009), three-time NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2010) and seven-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).
George Fox finished last season with a 28-3 overall record and a perfect 16-0 Northwest Conference mark. The Bruins advanced to the NCAA Division III Sectional Final but came up short against Washington-St. Louis to end their tournament run. The undefeated conference performance is only the third time in league history that a team had accomplished that feat, the second being during George Fox's 2008-09 season.
During the 2008-09 seasons, the Bruins had lost all five starters from the previous "Sweet 16" season and were picked to finish fifth in the conference. But with its four returning letterwinners and 10 freshmen, Rueck led the team to a school record 32-0 season to win the national championship and finish the season with the top spot in the rankings in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and D3hoops.com polls.
The Bruins set more records in that magical season under his care. The team won the Northwest Conference with its 16-0 record, leading the conference by five games - the largest margin ever for the title team.
In just his fourth season at the helm during the 1999-00 campaign, Rueck led the Bruins to their first NCAA Division III Tournament, finishing 23-5 overall and advancing to the "Sweet 16" with a No. 19 national ranking. The next season built on the previous year's success with the team finishing 15-1 in conference play to capture its first league title with a 23-3 overall record. The Bruins were ranked as the top team in the country for two weeks straight, finishing the season No. 11.
George Fox made its next tournament appearance during the 2004-05 campaign, advancing further than any team in school history to the "Elite 8." The Bruins finished the season with a 22-6 overall record and were ranked as high as 10th in the polls as the season concluded.
In 2007-08, Rueck's defense gained national attention as it was the national leader, allowing only 45.4 points per game. That squad finished 25-5 overall, reaching the round of 16 for the third time and finishing as high as 15th in the polls.
Rueck got his start coaching while an undergrad at Oregon State. He served as assistant coach at Santiam Christian High School for the boy's basketball team from 1989-93. He then became the women's basketball assistant coach at George Fox under former head coach Sherri Murrell, helping the Bruins to a 37-23 overall record and two NAIA postseason appearances. Additionally, he coached the women's tennis team in 1995-96.
Basketball runs in the Rueck family. His sister, Heidi, was an NAIA All-American point guard at George Fox, setting the school records in career, single season and single-game assists and eventually being voted into the school's Sport Hall of Fame in 2005. His father, Marv, was a part of the coaching staffs at Hillsboro and Glencoe High Schools, including being the inaugural head coach at Glencoe when it opened in 1980.
Rueck earned a Bachelor's in exercise and sport science from Oregon State in 1991, while adding a Master's in physical education in 1992. He is married to the former Kerry Aillaud, and the couple has three children, Cole, Kate and Macey. Kerry played basketball for George Fox from 1993-95, while serving as assistant coach for the program from 1998-06.
