TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State men's basketball head coach Ja Havens announced Thursday the hiring of Jacob Rueter to the staff as an assistant coach.

"We are excited to welcome Jake Rueter to NSU," said Havens.  "Jake is a high-character and passionate coach with an excellent basketball background. He will do a tremendous job teaching and developing our student-athletes. Jake will also work hard to build relationships and will relate well to our current players as well as prospective student-athletes."

Rueter comes to Tahlequah from NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois where he was a graduate assistant for the previous two seasons. He was part of a coaching staff that earned the Ohio Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.  The Panthers set a record during the 2022-23 season for steals and had its highest team grade point average since 2008. Rueter was on the Eastern Illinois bench in a stunning road upset at Iowa. Entering as a 30.5-point underdog, the Panthers had the largest point spread upset in NCAA history, winning 92-83.

He graduated from Eastern Illinois in May 2023 with a Master's Degree in sports administration.  

A native of Columbia, Ill., Rueter played men's basketball at Lincoln Land Community College (Ill.) before completing his career at NCAA Division III Monmouth College (Ill.) where he earned a Bachelor's degree in 2020. 

Rueter was an accomplished athlete at Gibault Catholic High School where he held school records in career assists and season assists. Rueter holds the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) record for ninth-most assists in a game with 21. As a four-year letterwinner, he won three regional titles and two sectional championships.  

Rueter is the son of Dennis, a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame with over 40 years as a head coach at Gibault Catholic. The pair spent one year on the bench together during the 2020-21 season where Jacob served as an assistant coach and head junior varsity coach.