Ruth Riley
San Antonio Silver Stars | |||||||||||||||||||||
2012 | Chicago Sky | ||||||||||||||||||||
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2013–2014 | Atlanta Dream | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at WNBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter (born August 28, 1979) is a retired American professional
In March 2016, Riley participated in
Early years
Riley was born in Ransom, Kansas and grew up in Macy, Indiana. She has always been tall, measuring 25 inches (63.50 cm) at birth, and six feet (1.83 m) by the time she was 12 years old.[4] While attending North Miami Middle/High School outside Denver, Indiana, she was on the basketball, volleyball and track teams. It was in high school that she began her practice of wearing a headband while playing. During her four years at high school she scored 1,372 points, acquired 1,011 rebounds and blocked 427 shots.[5] She averaged 26 points a game as a senior, and had her jersey number (25) retired by the high school.[6]
College years
In her freshman year at
The highlight of her college career came in the 2001 NCAA tournament. In the championship game, Notre Dame was trailing
Riley graduated from Notre Dame in 2001 with a degree in
Honors
- 2× First-team All-American (2000, 2001)
- Naismith Player of the Year (2001)
- NCAA champion (2001)
- NCAA Final Four MOP (2001)
- Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (2001)
- Big East Player of the Year (2001)
- Academic All-American of the Yearfor Division I (2001)
- 3× Big East Defensive Player of the Year (1999–2001)
- Edward "Moose" Krause Distinguished Service Award (2015)
- Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Legend (2014)[10]
- Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) by JCI (2014)[11]
- CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame (2012)[12]
- Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete of the Year Award (2010)
- Notre Dame's Basketball Ring of Honor Inductee (2010)[13]
- WNBA Hall Of Fame Inductee (2019)
Notre Dame statistics
Source[14]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997-98 | Notre Dame | 32 | 368 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 74.8% | 7.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 11.5 |
1998-99 | Notre Dame | 31 | 514 | 68.3% | 0.0% | 69.0% | 8.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 16.6 |
1999-00 | Notre Dame | 32 | 518 | 61.5% | 0.0% | 80.5% | 7.3 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 16.2 |
2000-01 | Notre Dame | 36 | 672 | 62.8% | 0.0% | 76.8% | 7.8 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 18.7 |
Career | 131 | 2072 | 63.2% | 0.0% | 75.4% | 7.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 15.8 |
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology - Magna Cum Laude - University of Notre Dame (2001)
Executive MBA –Magna Cum Laude - University of Notre Dame (2016)
Professional career
WNBA
On April 20, 2001, Riley was selected by the Miami Sol as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 WNBA draft. She came off the bench for the first 12 games. On July 1, she made her first professional start, on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks, and started for the rest of the season.
Her second season (2002) was a difficult one. After playing well in the preseason, she broke a finger the day before the regular season started. She could not play for the Sol's first several games – the first time in her career she had missed a game because of an injury. She returned, playing with a splint on her hand, but lost her starting spot. During the WNBA's off-season, she played in
After Riley's second season with the Sol, that franchise folded. On April 25, 2003 the WNBA held a special one-round dispersal draft, in which the remaining WNBA teams could select players from the Sol and from the Portland Fire, which had also folded. The Detroit Shock, by virtue of having the worst regular-season record in the WNBA in 2002, received the first pick in the dispersal draft, and used it to select Riley.[15]
In Riley's first season with the Shock (2003), she was a key member of the team. She bettered each of her previous WNBA season totals in points, rebounds, blocked shots, and assists. The Shock, in a notable turnaround, went from a 2002 season with the worst record in the league (9-23) to a 2003 season with the best record (25-9) and a victory in the WNBA Championship. In the finals, the Shock defeated the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks to win Detroit's first WNBA title. Riley was named the MVP of the WNBA finals.
Riley continued to play for the Shock in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons. In 2005, she was selected for the Eastern Conference team in the
In February 2007, she was traded to the
Riley was waived by Chicago on 5/23/13.
On June 18, 2013, Riley signed with Atlanta after a roster spot opened up when Sancho Lyttle was suspended following her departure to play six games for her national team.[17]
NWBL
The WNBA off-season was when the National Women's Basketball League operated. It provided a showcase for players hoping to make a WNBA team, and also attracted established WNBA players. In the fall of 2003, Riley joined the Colorado Chill of the NWBL. On April 1, 2005, in her second season, the Chill won the NWBL championship.
In Riley's third season with the Chill, she broke her thumb in a preseason workout and missed the team's first 14 games. She returned to action on March 21, 2006.[18] She played in the last four regular-season games, all of which the Chill won to finish tied for the regular-season championship.[19] In the playoffs, the Chill won both its games to repeat as NWBL champions.[20] Riley was named as the playoff MVP.[21]
Spanish League
After the WNBA's 2005 season, Riley played for Yaya Maria Porta XI in the 2005–06 season of the
Polish League
Riley played the 2006-07 European season for
Greek league
In January 2010, the Athinaikos club in the Greek league announced that Riley would join it for the remainder of its season. She replaced LaToya Davis, who broke her wrist. In April 2010, Riley helped Athinaikos to win their first EuroCup Women's Basketball Title.[22]
International competition
While in college, Riley played on the U.S. team in the 1999
.In 2002, she practiced with the USA Women's Senior National Team, but did not make the final cut to play in the
In 2004, she again practiced with the USA Women's Senior National Team and played in several of its games. She was selected for the 2004 U.S. Women's Olympic Team. In Olympic play, the team was undefeated and won the gold medal.
Community and global outreach
Nothing But Nets
Ruth Riley supports a number charitable organizations. Since its inception in December 2006, Riley has been a spokesperson of the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets, a global campaign that saves lives through the strategic prevention of Malaria. Through her work with the Nothing But Nets campaign, Riley has made multiple trips to different regions in Africa helping to amplify awareness of the malaria disease. In August 2008, Ruth helped raise money for Nothing But Nets during a San Antonio Silver Stars 5k run/walk. As a result of her efforts, Riley won August's WNBA Community Assist Award in 2008.
"No Kid Hungry"
Riley was introduce to Share Our Strength at the NBA All-Star Jam Session. Share Our Strength is a national nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger in America by making sure that children in need are enrolled in federal programs. It invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy meals on a budget, and builds public-private partnerships to end hunger on a national and state level. Riley, stopped by the booth to take the No Kid Hungry pledge and found out that they were launching an Illinois Initiative that March. She offered to help in any way she could and was subsequently asked to speak at their at the official launch. In the summer of 2012, Ruth, along with the NBA/WNBA joined with Share Our Strength to connect more than 50,000 youth to free meals in the summer across the United States.
Other activities
Riley wrote a children's book, The Spirit of Basketball, with co-author Paul Hickey and illustrator Christopher Hiller, that was published in 2005. According to Riley, the message of the book was "that basketball is the same no matter where you live or what language you speak".[23]
On January 26, 2005, Riley made her debut as a color
As of 2005[update], Riley was the vice president of the WNBA Players' Union.
In 2009,
In 2015, Riley was awarded the Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award by the Notre Dame Monogram Club.
In 2018 she became one of the broadcast analysts for the
Personal
Riley's height is variously listed as 6' 4" and 6' 5". She has said that she is "six-foot-four and a half to be exact" (1.94 m).[26]
In 2001, while playing for the Sol, Riley bought a home in South Beach, and returned to the area in the offseason even when playing for other organizations.[27]
Riley married Benjamin Hunter, another Notre Dame alum and varsity football player on New Year's Day 2018.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "You'll Never Guess Which Celebs Want You To Be A Mogul". Mogul. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ "#IAmAMogul Because Sports Are A Powerful Platform To Build Girls' Confidence. By Ruth Riley". Mogul. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
- ^ Chiang, Anthony (August 15, 2022). "Ruth Hunter moving into full-time role in Heat basketball operations, leaving broadcasting". Miami Herald.
- ^ Goldberg p 31
- ^ Goldberg p 31–32
- ^ Goldberg p 32
- ^ "Riley leads Notre Dame in biggest game of her career". CNN. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Notre Dame edges Purdue for top title". Archived from the original on 2005-09-04. Retrieved 2005-09-01.
- ^ "Ruth Riley Bio :: Notre Dame Women's Basketball :: UND.COM :: The Official Site of Notre Dame Athletics". Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ "Legends". www.raycomsports.com. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ "Ruth Riley Selected as One of 2014 Junior Chamber International Ten Outstanding Young Persons Of The World". Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ "SKY: Riley Inducted to Academic All-America Hall of Fame". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ Notre Dame's Basketball Ring of Honor Inductee in 2010 ruth riley
- ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
- ^ "WNBA.com: Draft 2003". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ "Detroit Free Press - Home". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ "DREAM: Atlanta Dream Signs Former All-Star Center Ruth Riley". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060322/SPORTS/603220328/1006
- ^ http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060327/SPORTS/603270336/1006
- ^ http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/SPORTS/60331011/1002/rss
- ^ http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060401/SPORTS/604010329/1006/rss02
- ^ Associated Press (January 25, 2010). "WNBA center Riley to play for Greece's Athinaikos". SI.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ "SHOCK: Shock Center Ruth Riley Pens Children's Book". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
- ^ "Mukasey, Elliott Abrams Get Last-minute Bush Appointments".
- ^ South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ "Colorado Chill of the NWBL". 2006-05-10. Archived from the original on May 10, 2006. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - WNBA. October 4, 2018. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- Goldberg, Jeff (2011). Bird at the Buzzer: UConn, Notre Dame, and a Women's Basketball Classic. Doris Burke. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2411-7.
External links
- Riley's website
- Riley's biography - on WNBA website
- Riley's biography - on NWBL website at the Wayback Machine (archived May 10, 2006)
- Riley's biography - on USA Basketball website
- Riley's biography - on usolympicteam.com at the Wayback Machine (archived December 12, 2007)
- Riley's blog - on WNBA website
- Riley profile for Lotos Gdynia (in Polish)
- "Life of Riley Is Overflowing with Dreams Fulfilled" - profile in The Detroit News
- Press release on her trade to the San Antonio Silver Stars