By John Spinelli
MIDDLETOWN – Before the basketball season began, St. Mary’s substitute teacher Emily Ruane joked with the school’s athletic director about coaching, not knowing they actually needed one.
So, at 23, with no formal experience, Ruane accepted the full-time position of junior varsity head coach/assistant varsity coach. A few months later, Ruane ended a season she won’t soon forget.
“I originally didn’t think coaching was for me,” Ruane said, although she did think she had two traits necessary for the job: “I am extremely passionate and have a lot of energy.”
In addition to not having any coaching experience, Ruane had another major hurdle to overcome: She hadn’t played basketball since eighth grade.
Ruane comes from a soccer background, playing first for St. Mary’s, then on the varsity team at St. John Vianney High School. After graduating in 2019, Ruane played college soccer for the Drew University Rangers.
What made the job easier was familiarity – coaching in a gym where she played 10 years ago.
“Being an alum means I’m right at home,” Ruane said, but it can also come with some surreal moments, like coaching the daughter of her former math teacher.
She said the new job was an excellent opportunity to learn more about basketball and coaching from Dan Werner, the St. Mary’s varsity head coach. Werner is a Middletown native and retired University of Florida star forward.
Although the Saints finished third in the Monmouth-Ocean Parochial Basketball League, this was a significant improvement from last year. The team ended the season 8-2 in the JV Girls Division with an overall 11-4 record, even defeating the No. 1-ranked St. Catharine’s of Spring Lake 33-26 in December. Other highlights were two tough overtime losses, one in the playoffs, and a championship appearance in the Snowball Tournament.
The season wasn’t without its bumps. Some didn’t believe in the team’s chances or in Ruane.
“I definitely faced some adversity as a young coach. Refs questioned my age, my knowledge of basketball, and my seriousness due to how I look as a young woman,” she said.
“But Coach Werner and the school backed me up during those moments.”
March Madness has focused the nation’s attention on women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, as female athletes like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Alissa Pili of Utah and University of South Carolina’s JuJu Watkins light up the scoreboard. The increased attention on women’s basketball has been inspiring for St. Mary’s girls, Ruane said, and she has also been a strong role model for them.
“Coaching means giving these student-athletes confidence,” she said.
“I feel I can relate to the girls and where they are in their lives now and help guide them in the right direction.”
“They deserve to feel strong, appreciated and believed in,” she said, a sentiment that seems to be reciprocal as, according to Ruane, “Coaching helped me gain confidence and find a calling.”
Ruane won a championship with St. Mary’s 11 years ago, beating St. Catharine’s during the 2013 MOCPBL final and she wanted this year’s players to have that experience. “I wanted to bring the girls as far as I could to explain how awesome it was to get there.”
“I wanted my team to truly believe they could do it,” Ruane said.
Although they didn’t quite reach the pinnacle, “We still have next year,” she said.
What started as temporarily filling a part-time job has become what Ruane is considering a lifelong career. About her future in coaching, she said she primarily values individual successes over compensation.
“Making an impact is something money can’t buy.”
The article originally appeared in the March 28 – April 3, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
