Basketball player finds luck in hard work

Susan Ruettgers is proof of an old truism: the harder she worked, the luckier she got.

Ruettgers, a senior at Sisters High School, recently signed with Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, on a basketball scholarship.

"I've always wanted to play college ball but wasn't sure how to make that really happen. When I started working at it off-court, off-season, and any chance I could, my game changed," said Ruettgers.

One of the tallest players on the varsity team, girls of Ruettgers' stature are usually placed under the basket offensively and defensively. According to Sisters High School girls basketball coach, Kevin Cotner, "Susie was often asked to step out and defend the star guard from the opposing team on the perimeter. When you have a player at her height that can move laterally and defend away from the hoop you have a very potent weapon that you can add to your defensive schemes.

"Susie led by example. She showed up every day and sold out to the team by being one of the hardest workers on any given day. Susie has been a huge and integral component in the success of the Sisters High School girls basketball program...She has put in countless hours in the gym to better her skills and knowledge of the game."

Standing in at exactly six feet, with a wingspan of 70 inches (that's a tad-bit short given her height), Ruettgers' strong vertical jump more than makes up the lack of distance in her arm length for her to get her shots in and rebound off her opponent.

Ruettgers' lateral and vertical game expanded exponentially under the expert training of Jesse McFarland at Sisters Athletic Club.

"As a sophomore, Susie had a lot of potential but lacked coordination and had an imbalance of strength...which caused her some slight knee issues," McFarland said. "By the time she was a senior she was the strongest high school female athlete I have ever worked with. Her balance and coordination greatly increased with specific training, which transferred to quickness and confidence on the court and I know she'll continue it at the next level."

Gaining more game awareness is another component of successful athletes. Playing against bigger, stronger, and more knowledgeable players was the key for Ruettgers. She joined a basketball club in Portland in her junior year and spent her weekends traveling there for practice.

In the fall and spring Ruettgers balanced her school life with game travel for the club. In the lazy days of summer she invested in the game even more by continuing to travel to play.

"I felt like being on the Portland team opened my eyes to how I needed to work harder for my game," said Ruettgers. "Every girl on the Portland club team is a serious player. Since I knew I wanted to play ball in college I knew I had to make more opportunities for myself to get noticed by the scouts."

Sisters High School assistant coach Andy Macauley said, "Susan is the most coachable player I've ever had. She has an intense desire to do the right thing. She pushes our team with her work ethic. Both Susan and Chelsea work so hard in the off season."

With several college scrimmage games now under her belt, Ruettgers easily sees how much faster college ball is played.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking at first, like when I came up against Maria Ramirez at Northwest Nazarene. She's from La Pine and I've played against her before. She's a tough guard, nothing gets past her," said Ruettgers.

But once Ruettgers started leaning into the game, her focus came into the zone and she was all work, covering the floor quickly, moving her feet with agility, and all with the style and grace of one smart player. Once aggressive opponents, Ruettgers and Ramirez will be a dynamic duo together on the same side of the court.

Leigh-Anne Durham played college basketball for four years.

"Court awareness is seeing everything on the court all at once," she said. "It allows you to wait and then capitalize on an opponent's mistakes, and that takes brains. I've played ball with Susan. She's patient and will wait it out. Then, all of a sudden she's scored on you and you don't know what happened."

That's what Ruettgers likes best, posting up against her defender and scoring on them.

"Susie is an awesome competitor. We spent countless hours in the gym pushing each other. She made our workouts fun. I'm so happy for Susie. She's earned everything she has received for sure," said teammate Chelsea McConville.

Northwest Nazarene University women's basketball coach Ryan McCarthy is excited about Susan joining his program. Sisters High School teacher Gary Hedin recognized Ruettgers' well-honed talent and sent some film of her to the coach.

"We were very impressed with her character and passion for the game," McCarthy said. "Not only is she a good basketball player, she's a quality person. We believe strongly in that kind of balance."

Ruettgers' eyes sparkled when she said, "I'm ecstatic to be playing at this level. I'm really, really happy Mr. Hedin sent in the film."

As Ruettgers leaves behind her #24 jersey she also leaves this advice for other girls who want to play college ball: "If you want it, be pro-active in your game. It's a lot of work, but I found a lot of opportunities come your way the harder you work."