Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter (born August 28, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player. She played as a center for teams like the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Ruth Riley achieved many great things in her career. Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA women's championship in 2001. Later, her Detroit Shock team won the WNBA championship in 2003 and 2006. She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both the 2001 NCAA and 2003 WNBA championship series. This made her the first person to win MVP awards in both championships.

She also won a championship in the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL). Ruth earned a gold medal at the Olympic Games and won the 2010 EuroCup Championship. In 2019, Ruth Riley was honored by being inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

After retiring from playing, Riley continued to work in basketball. In March 2016, she joined the "IAmAMogul" campaign to inspire women. She was the general manager for the San Antonio Stars from May 2016 until the team moved. In 2022, she joined the Miami Heat as the Senior Director of Team Development.

Early Life and School Days
College Basketball Career
Professional Basketball Journey
- Playing in the WNBA
- Playing in Other Leagues
Playing for Her Country
Helping Others in the Community
- Nothing But Nets
- "No Kid Hungry"
Other Interesting Activities
Personal Life
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and School Days

Ruth Riley was born in Ransom, Kansas, and grew up in Macy, Indiana. She was always very tall. At birth, she was 25 inches (64 cm) long. By age 12, she was already six feet (1.83 m) tall.

While attending North Miami Middle/High School in Indiana, she played basketball, volleyball, and was on the track team. She started wearing her famous headband during high school games. In high school, she scored 1,372 points, got 1,011 rebounds, and blocked 427 shots. In her senior year, she averaged 26 points per game. Her high school even retired her jersey number, 25, to honor her achievements.

College Basketball Career

Ruth Riley went to the Notre Dame. In her first year, she played in all 32 games and started in 26 of them. After that, she was the starting center for almost every game during her four years. She was always one of the best players in the country for her shooting accuracy and blocked shots.

In her junior and senior years, she was chosen as a First Team All-American. As a senior, she won the Naismith Award and was named the Associated Press Player of the Year. She also earned the Verizon Academic All-American of the Year award for her excellent grades.

The most exciting part of her college career was the 2001 NCAA tournament. In the championship game, Notre Dame was behind Purdue by two points. Ruth scored to tie the game. With only 5.8 seconds left, she was fouled and got to shoot two free throws. She made both, giving Notre Dame a 68–66 lead and their first national championship! Her coach, Muffet McGraw, famously said, "It's the same play we've been running all season. It's called: 'Get the ball to Ruth.'" Ruth was named the Most Outstanding Player of that year's Final Four.

Ruth Riley is the only player in Notre Dame women's basketball history to score over 2,000 points and get over 1,000 rebounds. She was also a two-time Academic All-American. In 1999, she led the nation in field goal percentage, shooting an amazing 68.3%.

Ruth graduated from Notre Dame in 2001 with a degree in psychology. She was on the Dean's List every semester. She finished her college career with 2,072 points, 1,007 rebounds, and 370 blocked shots.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing in the WNBA

On April 20, 2001, Ruth Riley was picked by the Miami Sol as the fifth player overall in the 2001 WNBA draft. She started her professional career coming off the bench. But by July 1, she became a starter and played that role for the rest of the season.

Her second season in 2002 was tough. She broke a finger before the season started, missing games for the first time due to injury. She played with a splint but lost her starting spot.

After the Miami Sol team closed down, the Detroit Shock chose Ruth Riley in a special draft in 2003. In her first year with the Shock, she was a very important player. She improved her points, rebounds, and blocked shots. The Shock went from having the worst record in 2002 to the best record in 2003. They won the WNBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Sparks. Ruth was named the MVP of the WNBA finals!

Ruth continued to play for the Shock until 2006. In 2005, she was chosen for the WNBA All-Star Game. In 2006, she was the starting center when the Shock won their second WNBA championship.

In 2007, she was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars. Later, in 2012, the Chicago Sky signed her. Ruth then played for the Atlanta Dream in 2013 and 2014 before retiring.

Playing in Other Leagues

During the WNBA off-season, Ruth also played in other basketball leagues around the world.

NWBL: In 2003, she joined the Colorado Chill in the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL). In 2005, the Chill won the NWBL championship. In 2006, even after breaking her thumb, she returned to help the Chill win the NWBL championship again. She was named the playoff MVP.
Spanish League: After the 2005 WNBA season, Ruth played in the Spanish League. She also played there again in 2009.
Polish League: In 2006-07, she played for Lotos Gdynia in the Polish League.
Greek League: In 2010, Ruth joined the Athinaikos club in the Greek league. She helped them win their first EuroCup Women's Basketball Title.

Playing for Her Country

Ruth Riley also represented the United States in international competitions.

World University Games: In 1999, while still in college, she played for the U.S. team in the World University Games in Spain. The team won the silver medal.
Olympics: In 2004, she was chosen for the U.S. Women's Olympic Team. The team played perfectly, winning every game and earning the gold medal at the Athens Olympics.

Helping Others in the Community

Ruth Riley cares a lot about helping people and supports many charities.

Nothing But Nets

Since 2006, Ruth has been a spokesperson for "Nothing But Nets." This campaign helps prevent Malaria by providing bed nets to families in need. Ruth has traveled to Africa many times to raise awareness about malaria. In 2008, she helped raise money for "Nothing But Nets" during a San Antonio Silver Stars run/walk event. For her efforts, she won the WNBA Community Assist Award in August 2008.

"No Kid Hungry"

Ruth also supports "Share Our Strength," a group working to end childhood hunger in America. This organization helps children get federal meal programs, teaches families to cook healthy on a budget, and creates partnerships to fight hunger. Ruth took the "No Kid Hungry" pledge and offered to help. In 2012, Ruth, along with the NBA and WNBA, helped connect over 50,000 young people to free summer meals across the United States.

Other Interesting Activities

Riley at the ribbon cutting for four donated basketball courts in Angola

Ruth Riley wrote a children's book called The Spirit of Basketball in 2005. She co-wrote it with Paul Hickey, and Christopher Hiller illustrated it. Ruth said the book's message is that "basketball is the same no matter where you live or what language you speak."

In 2005, Ruth also started working as a commentator for Notre Dame women's basketball games. She was also the vice president of the WNBA Players' Union.

In 2009, President George W. Bush appointed Ruth to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. This council promotes healthy living and exercise.

In 2015, she received the Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award from the Notre Dame Monogram Club. In 2018, she became a broadcast analyst for the Miami Heat of the NBA. She was the first woman to have this role for the Heat. Ruth is not related to Pat Riley, who is the president of the Heat.

Personal Life

Ruth Riley's height is listed as either 6'4" or 6'5". She has said she is "six-foot-four and a half to be exact" (1.94 m).

In 2001, while playing for the Miami Sol, Ruth bought a home in South Beach. She continued to return to the area during the off-season, even when playing for other teams.

Ruth married Benjamin Hunter, who also went to Notre Dame and played varsity football, on New Year's Day 2018.

Awards and Honors

2× First-team All-American (2000, 2001)
Naismith Player of the Year (2001)
NCAA champion (2001)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2001)
Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (2001)
Big East Player of the Year (2001)
Academic All-American of the Year for 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)
Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) by JCI (2014)
CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame (2012)
Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete of the Year Award (2010)
Notre Dame's Basketball Ring of Honor Inductee (2010)
WNBA Hall of Fame Inductee (2019)

Images for kids

Riley at the ribbon cutting for four donated basketball courts in Angola

Ruth Riley facts for kids

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