Claire Ruiz-Tucker is a mom and a coach off the court, and a leader on it for Gallaudet. Gallaudet Athletics photo by David Sinclair Photography

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

Don’t call it a comeback. For Claire Ruiz-Tucker, it’s more like a continuation.

When the Gallaudet women’s basketball standout resumed her collegiate career two years ago after a decade-plus hiatus, she never expected to help lead the Bison to the NCAA Tournament.

But, that’s exactly what happened. Gallaudet (18-10) meets top-ranked New York University (25-0), the defending champ, in Friday’s first round.

“I’m ready to put my uniform on and have fun,” Ruiz-Tucker said in an email.

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The game marks another milestone on the 5-5 senior point guard’s unique journey. A high school standout at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Ruiz-Tucker committed to Gallaudet, a university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, and played two years for the Bison. A chronic injury led her to step away from the program, but she stayed active – and successful – on the basketball court in the years since.

“After leaving the Gallaudet women’s basketball program in 2012-2013 due to an injury, I was unable to commit to a full season of play,” she said. “I continued to play recreationally when I could and had the opportunity to represent the USA in the 2013 Deaflympics in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the 2015 World Deaf Basketball Championships in Taoyuan, Taiwan.”

After those international events though, basketball took a backseat to other life priorities, including motherhood. But, that competitive fire still burned for Ruiz-Tucker, who remained close to the sport and decided to step into a coaching role.

“Before returning to the sport as an assistant coach at Maryland School for the Deaf in 2022-23, I had taken an eight-year break from playing and explored other interests,” she said. “While coaching alongside my former Gallaudet and USA teammate Elena Ciccarelli, I rediscovered my love for the sport, which ultimately led me to earn a spot on the USA roster for the 2023 World Deaf Basketball Championships in Crete, Greece.”

Two of her teammates on that 2023 Team USA roster were Cassidy Perry and Raj Guettler, two Gallaudet and former Maryland School for the Deaf standouts. Playing on that squad rekindled Ruiz-Tucker’s competitive fire and the duo convinced her to come back to Gallaudet for the 2023-24 season to play hoops and further her education.

“Making Team USA in the summer of 2023 was a turning point for me. Everything seemed to align — I was ready to return to school to pursue my master’s degree in school counseling, and as the cherry on top, complete two more years of my remaining NCAA collegiate eligibility,” she said.

Coming back to a collegiate program was an adjustment for the 31-year-old Ruiz-Tucker.

“Even though I’d been away from the sport for a while, it felt like getting back on a bike — just with more wisdom and patience,” she said. “I’ve definitely grown off the court, so it only makes sense that I’ve grown on the court as well. One key change is that I stopped drinking alcohol at least five years ago, and that makes a huge difference. Most of all, gratitude keeps me grounded and focused through it all.”

Balancing life as a parent and having a career can be a challenge. It became much trickier as a student-athlete.

“I couldn’t do this without the support of my family, friends, and community,” she wrote. “When you’re having fun and living in the moment, it’s not impossible.”

Gallaudet Athletics photo by David Sinclair Photography

Bison head coach Stephanie Stevens coached Ruiz-Tucker in 2012-13. She was happy to welcome her back to the program.

“I thought it was pretty incredible what she was able to do. How many former student-athletes allow about 10 years to pass by and still are able to be in that great of shape and able to compete at a high level like she has? It’s great to see Claire doing that,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to coach her 10-plus years ago. But, I think she is in even better shape now. It’s amazing to see that maturity level she has now. When you’re starting out in college, you’re still so young and still growing and learning so many different things — learning about yourself and who you are. Ten years go by and she has just figured it out, in terms of what she loves about herself and what she is passionate about.

“As soon as she came back as part of our team, it was the same Claire, but a more mature and older Claire. She was able to lead her teammates in a completely different way because she had a different perspective because she has gone through a lot more experiences. Plus, she was coaching middle school basketball and volleyball. So, she had that coaching perspective, too, and could bring a different insight to her teammates.”

Being a decade older than most of her basketball peers, does Ruiz-Tucker struggle to keep up with younger players?

“I would argue she is still as quick as she was,” Stevens said. “It goes along with how she is taking care of her body. She has been doing that ever since graduated college — managing her food intake and sleeping habits. She is very precise and likes to get the specific amount of sleep in that she needs now that she is a little older. That plays a huge factor in her ability to play at a high level.”

If anything, Ruiz-Tucker’s experience has allowed her to read the game more and anticipate better than when she was younger – two valuable attributes for a point guard.

“On the court, she has more of a comfort in her play,” Stevens said. “Her international experience has helped that, too.”

Off the court, Ruiz-Tucker has had to adapt as well.

“I think the most difficult adjustment she had to figure out last year was being away from her daughter as much as she was,” Stevens said. “Playing collegiate ball, you’re practicing six days a week and playing multiple games per week in a three- or four-month span. It’s a mind game for a parent. That was a transition for her. It wasn’t the skill part because she had been playing casually ever since she had been done with undergrad and she fit right in with us.

“It was knowing when to be there mentally for practice when maybe other things are going on, like maybe there was a birthday party or other event going on that normally she would have gone to, but couldn’t because we had practice or a game. So, just getting comfortable with the schedule was not only tough on Claire, but tough on her daughter.”

As a mother of two young children herself, Stevens certainly understands that challenge. She’s run practices with one of her children strapped to her in a baby carrier before. In addition, senior guard Sunita Schmidjorg is another mom on the team. She took a year off from basketball before rejoining the program after having twins. It’s not unusual to see her youngsters at practice.

“There is a balance between home and work life. Sometimes, there is no balance. Sometimes home and work life with athletics meshes together. It’s just continuously trying to learn from a situation that happened. If you miss something one day, what can you do the next day to try to balance it out?” Stevens said. “As a parent, you have to juggle and figure it out. It was a challenge for me as well. I had to make sure that I was modeling everything I could to show that, even though unexpected things happen and my child has to come to practice, I could still do what I needed to. You just make it work because that is what life is all about.”

While navigating her first year back, Ruiz-Tucker started 24 games and averaged 10.4 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. This season, she checks in at 8.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per outing. She had 16 points in the team’s 95-85 win over Penn State-Abington in a United East tournament semifinal. Stats don’t matter to Ruiz-Tucker, though. This does — the Bison won the program’s first conference tournament title with a thrilling 71-70 overtime win against St. Mary’s (Md.).

“This team is just so special, and I’m honored to be part of the achievement of winning the conference championship for the first time in program history,” Ruiz-Tucker said. “It means the world to me! I was 5 years old when the 1998-99 Gallaudet women’s basketball team made it to the Sweet 16, and I remember hearing that story over and over as I grew up. It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NCAA tournament for Gallaudet. To make it even more special, both of my parents are proud Gallaudet alumni.”

Gallaudet looks forward to taking on the defending national champs.

“We are so competitive. We are ready for NYU,” Stevens said. “It’s a tremendous program. The bar is high and we are ready. We want to be able to face a team with so many accolades, that’s coached so well and has so many great student-athletes.”

Once her collegiate basketball career ends, Ruiz-Tucker wants to remain active in the sport.

“Maybe one or two more international competitions, and yes, I would love to coach again,” she wrote.

It’s possible she could coach her daughter, too.

“My kid just turned 10 and recently finished the basketball season. It’s a small world – Ronda Jo Miller Donatucci (a Gallaudet legend and three-time first team D3hoops.com All-America pick), who played on the 1998-99 Gallaudet women’s basketball team that made it to the Sweet 16, coached my kid’s team. Her kid was also on the team.”

No matter where the road takes Ruiz-Tucker next, she’ll carry the memories of her Gallaudet career with her forever.

“The best part of this is being able to play for Gallaudet again!” she said.