ALBANY, N.Y. — What do winners do?
It’s a popular question asked in business. Find the most successful, the Warren Buffetts and the Steve Jobses, and do what they do.
It’s no different with Oregon State women’s basketball coach Scott Rueck as he developed his philosophy for defense.
How does UConn play? Stanford? Programs that win and play for championships?
It’s not about pressure and forcing turnovers, typically how many outsiders view great defenses.
“I like winning, and I like to win the biggest games, and I’ve cut some nets. I like cutting nets, hanging banners, and I like a lot of smiles on lots of faces,” Rueck said. “That means you have to beat the best teams. The best teams typically don’t turn it over that much.”
If defense were about forcing turnovers and collecting steals, Oregon State wouldn’t be playing at 10 a.m. Sunday in the women’s NCAA Tournament Albany 1 Regional championship game against South Carolina (ABC/KATU 2). The Beavers aren’t good at it, and frankly, don’t give it much attention.
OSU ranks 349th of 349 Division I teams in forcing turnovers, yielding only 9.1 per game. The Beavers are just slightly better at steals, ranking 347th at 4.5 per game.
Why, then, is Oregon State considered one of the country’s best defensive teams? It goes back to what winners, like UConn and Stanford, do: They make opposing offenses nervous. For Oregon State, that means positioning its players in such a manner that the opponent is forced to take shots it doesn’t want to take.
Here, the Beavers excel. Oregon State is eighth nationally in field goal defense, limiting the opponent to 35.5% shooting. The Beavers are nearly as strong at stopping the three-pointer, as opponents make an average of 27.5% of their shots from behind the arc, No. 23 in the country.
As an aside, maybe this is why South Carolina and Oregon State are playing for the Albany 1 Regional title. They’re the country’s top two Power Five programs in field goal defense this season.
Oregon State’s formula is playing out during the NCAA Tournament. Through three games, the Beavers collectively have 11 steals and 22 forced turnovers. But Eastern Washington, Nebraska and Notre Dame combined to shoot an average of 32.3%. Notre Dame’s 25% shooting clip from three is the best of OSU’s three tourney opponents.
Focusing on defensive positioning and forcing bad shots also pays off in another area: rebounding. The Beavers rank fifth in the country in defensive rebounds, averaging 31.1 per game. As another aside, guess another team that excels in this area? South Carolina. The Gamecocks are third nationally in defensive rebounds.
Rueck isn’t looking for style points. He admits that when the Beavers play an average team, they might not win by as many points as others.
“We’ll still win that game, and we’ll have a chance in this game,” he said. “That philosophy has given us a chance when we typically have not been the most athletic team on the floor. It’s just evolved over time in that desire to beat the very best and what it would take.”
That philosophy only works when the team buys what the coach is selling. The 2023-24 Beavers clearly are buying in bulk, so much so they often talk about defense being “fun.”
Sophomore forward Timea Gardiner said she didn’t identify as a defender coming into college.
“I didn’t realize how important stepping into a defensive role and how important having that mindset would be later down the road,” Gardiner said.
Defense often isn’t the top priority for the college-bound high school player.
“In high school you’re usually one of the best players and defense is something you don’t think about or don’t need to do as much,” junior guard A.J. Marotte said. “You get here, and if you don’t play defense, you don’t play. But we all love each other and we help each other, so it’s been a lot easier to figure out.”
Raegan Beers said she thought she knew how to play defense until she got to Oregon State. The hard part to her was trusting that her defensive position was correct.
“There were times when you’d be all the way over on someone’s right hand, and you feel like you’re giving up the other side, but in reality, we’re actually in the position he wants us,” Beers said. “That’s the hardest thing. You have to be mentally tough and trust that we’re not giving up something when you think you are.”
Rueck said the players’ acceptance to playing his style of defense is based on communication and trust.
“Honest conversations. That builds the trust necessary to handle maybe the toughest situation, like why didn’t I play tonight? I’ve got to trust the coaches, that they made the best decisions for our team. I hope that we’re always on the same page with that, as best we can be,” Rueck said.
Rueck’s measured, analytical approach helps convince players that he’s thought it through. Junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen pointed to Friday’s game against Notre Dame, when the Beavers were committing turnovers at a season-high rate. Some coaches may have stomped and insisted players understand that they’re killing the offense with the turnovers.
Rueck?
“It would have been really easy for him to be on us … but I think he knew that we’re a young group, and in that game that’s not what we needed from him,” von Oelhoffen said. “He was very level-headed and just took the approach of encouraging and problem solving. I think that kept us calm in other areas of the game.
“That’s something he really thinks about in those moments. Someone that’s been doing this a long time. He’s extremely intelligent, and it’s everything for us.”
-- Nick Daschel covers Oregon State athletics, in particular football and basketball, and can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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