Rueter enters his third season as an assistant coach on the men's basketball staff at Northeastern State University.
The 2024-25 season saw Rueter assist in coaching a top-three scoring offense in the MIAA (78.1 PPG), while additionally coaching the conference's top scorer in Trey Phipps (21.0 PPG) and its top rebounder in Ethan Blackmon (7.7 RPG). Phipps would go on to receive an All-MIAA Second Team selection, while Blackmon earned a Third Team nod. Rueter helped NSU make a return to the MIAA Tournament after completing multi-game regular season sweeps over Arkansas-Fort Smith, Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State. Additionally, the RiverHawks knocked off the nation's #1-ranked team when defeating Washburn inside the NSU Event Center on Feb. 15. Rueter helped oversee a three-win improvement on home contests from the previous year, coaching a team that matched the strongest home win percentage (.643) of the Havens era.
His first campaign with the program saw him assist in the development of All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection Anthony Allen, as well as one of the conference's top freshman in Ethan Blackmon. The RiverHawks battled injuries during the year, but finished strong in the last month, with three wins over MIAA Tournament teams.
He came to Tahlequah in 2023 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.
Coaching History
2023-Present: Northeastern State, assistant men's basketball coach
2021-23: Eastern Illinois, graduate assistant
