| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1958-12-16)December 16, 1958 (age 66) Bay Shore, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Sachem (Lake Ronkonkoma, New York) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Iona (1977–1980) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1980: 2nd round, 25th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Golden State Warriors | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1980–1987, 1992–1993 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 43, 50 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1993–2013 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| As a player: | |||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||
| 1981–1986 | Washington Bullets | ||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987; 1992 | Philadelphia 76ers | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Iona (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2007 | Iona | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Albuquerque Thunderbirds | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | UDC | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As head coach:
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA playing statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,763 (17.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,378 (10.2 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,002 (3.0 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Career coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| College | 184–196 (.484) | ||||||||||||||
| Record atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Jeffrey George Ruland (born December 16, 1958) is an American former professionalbasketball player and coach, best known for his tenure as a player in theNBA which saw him selected to two All-Star games. After playingcollege basketball forIona, he started his professional career withFC Barcelona in theLiga ACB.
Following his playing career, he coached theIona Gaels men's basketball team and theUDC Firebirds men's college basketball team.
A 6-foot-11-inch (2.11 m), 280 lbcenter, Ruland went fromSachem High School inSuffolk County, New York. He was named to the inauguralMcDonald's All-American team, which played in the 1977Capital Classic.[1][2] He attendedIona College on a basketball scholarship and played for coachJim Valvano before Valvano left forNorth Carolina State University. Ruland played on the Gaels' 1979–1980 team that beat eventual national championLouisville, 77–60, atMadison Square Garden during the regular season and compiled a 29–5 record en route to a number 19 national ranking, the best in the school's history. However, Ruland was found in violation of NCAA rules by hiring an agent, Paul Corvino,[3] at International Management Inc. and was ruled ineligible to play his senior year at Iona.[4]
Ruland was selected by theGolden State Warriors in the1980 NBA draft with the 25th overall pick but was traded to theWashington Bullets for a second round pick in the1981 NBA draft. Due to not being likely to get the playing time he wanted with the crowded Bullets frontcourt, he opted to sign withFC Barcelona of theLiga ACB instead for the 1980–81 season[5] although he left the team before the end of the season.[6]
Joining the Bullets for the1981–82 NBA season,[7][8] Ruland played behind 32-year-oldSpencer Haywood but had greater per-game averages than him during the same number of minutes.[9] Seeing time at both forward and center, Ruland showed muscle at both ends of the floor and an accurate jump shot good from as far as 20 feet. A 56% shooter from the floor, Ruland registered as having the 10th-best field goal percentage in the league.[10] That postseason, the Bullets swept theNew Jersey Nets, before losing to theBoston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Ruland's playoff averages were 17 points and 9.4 rebounds per game off the bench.[11]
Ruland took over the starting power forward spot for the1982–83 NBA season, and continued to back up at center for Washington. His 55% shooting and 11 rebounds per game ranked him, respectively, 10th and 8th place league-wide.[12] Leading coachGene Shue's balanced team in scoring as well, Ruland earned a spot in theNBA All-Star Game that year. Despite finishing with the same record as the year before, the Bullets did not make the playoffs.[13]
In the1983–84 season, Ruland's averages surged to 22 points and four assists per game. On November 25 of that season, Ruland scored a career-high 38 points, and also grabbed 16 rebounds, in a win over theDetroit Pistons.[14] By the end of the season, Ruland was third in the NBA in total rebounds and fifth in shooting percentage from the floor. The Bullets returned to the playoffs and again lost to Boston. In the series, Ruland averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 52% from the floor and 81% from the foul line against the eventual NBA champions.[15]
For the1984–85 NBA season, Ruland was moved to the center for the Bullets. His stats dipped slightly. He remained among the rebounding and shooting leaders, but suffered a broken bone in his foot and played just 37 games. Ruland played through the pain in the playoffs, but the Bullets lost to thePhiladelphia 76ers to end a disappointing season.[16]
The brittle feet, though, like Bill Walton before him, were now a condition. He played 30 games during the1985–86 NBA season, usually in considerable pain. In the playoffs, the Bullets opted to start toweringManute Bol at the center. Ruland added 14 points and five assists per game off the bench, but the Bullets fell to Philadelphia for the second consecutive season.
While on the Bullets, Ruland and teammateRick Mahorn were dubbed the "Beef Brothers" for their physicality and tough play when paired together on the court.[17]
As of the2023–24 season, Ruland has the highestfield goal percentage (minimum 2000field goals made) by any player inWashington Wizards history, at 56.4%.[18]
Traded to Philadelphia forMoses Malone the following season, Ruland played in five games before getting injured and subsequently retiring.
Five years later Ruland made a comeback with the Sixers, playing in 13 games during the1991–92 NBA season before sustaining anAchilles injury involving aluggage cart which was allegedly slammed into his leg by a Boston Celtics employee outsideBoston Garden.[19]
He managed to play an additional 11 games with theDetroit Pistons the following season before retiring for good in January 1993.
In 1979, Ruland played for theUnited States national team at the1979 Summer Spartakiad games.[20] In September, he helped Team USA win gold at the1979 Summer Universiade.[21]
After his playing days, Ruland became an assistant coach under the Sixers'Fred Carter during the1993–94 NBA season. He then returned to coach at hisalma mater.[22] He was fired from Iona on March 21, 2007, after a 2–28 record for the 2006–2007 season. Yet during his tenure as head coach, he guided the Gaels to three 20-win seasons, three MAAC Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Recruiting and injuries were blamed for the team's abysmal record during his final season. A factor for the 2–28 season was that the administration fired Ruland's assistant coaches. Ruland could not recruit for that season. Ruland's termination as a head coach came from Iona College president James Liguori while he was on a cruise.[23]
On July 16, 2007, Ruland was hired to replaceMichael Cooper as the head coach of the NBA D-League's Albuquerque Thunderbirds.[24] After coaching the Thunderbirds for the 2007–08 season, Ruland was hired as an assistant coach for thePhiladelphia 76ers on August 23, 2008.[25] New 76ers head CoachEddie Jordan decided not to retain Ruland for the 2009–10 season.
On August 18, 2009, Ruland announced that he would be the new men's basketball head coach at the University of the District of Columbia. After a late September hiring and the first season with only one win, his third year saw a 22-win season.[26] He was fired in 2013.[27]
In 2015, Ruland was hired as an advance scout for the Washington Wizards.[28]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Washington | 82 | 0 | 27.0 | .561 | .333 | .752 | 9.3 | 1.6 | .5 | .7 | 14.4 |
| 1982–83 | Washington | 79 | 47 | 36.2 | .552 | .333 | .689 | 11.0 | 3.0 | .9 | 1.0 | 19.4 |
| 1983–84 | Washington | 75 | 75 | 41.1* | .579 | .143 | .733 | 12.3 | 3.9 | .9 | 1.0 | 22.2 |
| 1984–85 | Washington | 37 | 36 | 38.8 | .569 | .000 | .685 | 11.1 | 4.4 | .8 | .7 | 18.9 |
| 1985–86 | Washington | 30 | 24 | 37.1 | .554 | .000 | .725 | 10.7 | 5.3 | .8 | .8 | 19.0 |
| 1986–87 | Philadelphia | 5 | 2 | 23.2 | .679 | – | .750 | 5.6 | 2.0 | .0 | .8 | 9.4 |
| 1991–92 | Philadelphia | 13 | 5 | 16.1 | .526 | – | .688 | 3.6 | .4 | .5 | .3 | 3.9 |
| 1992–93 | Detroit | 11 | 0 | 5.0 | .455 | – | .500 | 1.6 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 1.1 |
| Career | 332 | 189 | 33.4 | .564 | .158 | .718 | 10.2 | 3.0 | .8 | .8 | 17.4 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | .667 | — | 1.000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 6.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Washington | 7 | — | 33.9 | .481 | .000 | .768 | 9.4 | .7 | .4 | .6 | 17.0 |
| 1984 | Washington | 4 | — | 46.8 | .521 | .000 | .815 | 12.8 | 7.8 | .5 | .8 | 24.0 |
| 1985 | Washington | 4 | 3 | 40.5 | .596 | .000 | .700 | 8.5 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 17.5 |
| 1986 | Washington | 2 | 0 | 27.0 | .500 | — | .824 | 6.0 | 5.0 | .0 | 1.0 | 14.0 |
| Career | 17 | 3 | 37.6 | .521 | .000 | .775 | 9.6 | 3.9 | .8 | .8 | 18.4 | |
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iona Gaels(Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)(1998–2007) | |||||||||
| 1998–99 | Iona | 16–14 | 12–6 | 2nd | |||||
| 1999–00 | Iona | 20–11 | 13–5 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2000–01 | Iona | 22–11 | 12–6 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2001–02 | Iona | 13–17 | 8–8 | 5th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Iona | 17–12 | 11–7 | 5th | |||||
| 2003–04 | Iona | 11–18 | 8–10 | 7th | |||||
| 2004–05 | Iona | 15–16 | 9–9 | 5th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Iona | 23–8 | 13–5 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Iona | 2–28 | 1–17 | 10th | |||||
| Iona: | 144–135 (.516) | ||||||||
| UDC Firebirds(East Coast Conference)(2009–2013) | |||||||||
| 2009–10 | UDC | 1–20 | |||||||
| 2010–11 | UDC | 11–15 | |||||||
| 2011–12 | UDC | 22–6 | |||||||
| 2012–13 | UDC | 6–20 | |||||||
| UDC: | 40–61 (.396) | ||||||||
| Total: | 184–196 (.484) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
and Basketball Reference
