Mikaela Ruef is a woman of two careers.
They are stark in contrast but entwine and she is better for each one because of the other.
The American-born Australian citizen is best known as a tough and consistent competitor, both in the WNBL as a two-time champion and NBL1, formerly SEABL, where she has established herself as genuine star.
Away from the court, the 34-year-old is a civil engineer - a career she etched out while in college at Stanford.
“At the time I was there I wanted to get a really good degree. I came out and played in Australia but as an import you can’t play and work so once I became a permanent resident, then a citizen, it opened up being able to work,” she explains.
“I wanted to get some experience while I was still playing so the transition from full-time athlete to full-time worker isn’t as hard as it normally is for athletes.
“It's obviously a lot of work trying to do it and play basketball at a high level but for most people when their career ends it’s kind of abrupt and like ‘What do I do next?’ so to be able to have this to fall back on means I don’t feel worried about the end of my career which I probably would if I didn’t have this.”
Basketball and engineering have co-habited, highlighted by a successful stint in Townsville with the Fire, which netted a WNBL championship in 2022-23.
Part of her move to the club, from Canberra, included a position with local business and club sponsor, Mendi.
Basketball and work co-habited happily and successfully.
“Every company I’ve worked for has been really supportive of me being a professional athlete, they work around my schedule,” Ruef says.
“Being a sponsor of Townsville, Mendi were really involved, my co-workers came to all the games, they’d even come down afterwards when we were signing autographs and get pictures. “It was awesome, I feel like being able to work and play basketball allows you to bring in new eyes that become women’s basketball fans that wouldn’t be otherwise and that’s one of the coolest things.
“When my co-workers say ‘Oh, I saw you play’ or ‘I’ve never watched but I knew you played so I came to the game or turned the TV on’ it makes me happy because I’m like ‘Cool, there’s a new basketball fan’.”
And while basketball and work complement each other and bring perspective now, Ruef also has an eye to the future.
“I feel like sometimes when you’re playing basketball you can get so wrapped up in everything about basketball, feel like it’s the most important thing in the world and if you have a bad day at training or a couple of bad games you get super down on yourself and feel that everything is bad in your life because basketball isn’t going well,” she says.
“If you’ve got other stuff going on, like a job, if I’m not training I’m working and it gives me something else to focus on. If I have a bad day at practice it’s not the end of the world because I have to turn around and work for my company, who care about my basketball, but I’ve got a job to do.
“You don’t get caught up in basketball being the be all and end all and I think that’s really helped me not get down on myself.
“I’m rehabbing a knee injury at the moment and it would have been the worst but I can still do my other job, I still am important there and have a role. Even though I can’t play right now it’s not the end of the world.”
