RCTC guard Ruzek is a builder on and off the court

Dec. 30—ROCHESTER — Myia Ruzek has been building her game on the basketball court for many years. As it turns out, she's not too bad of a builder off the court either.

Ruzek, a Lewiston-Altura graduate, is a 5-foot-9 guard for the undefeated and highly ranked Rochester Community and Technical College women's basketball team.

The 21-year-old Ruzek is one of six RCTC players who received an extra season in the college ranks due to COVID-19, and she is now in her third season with the Yellowjackets. It took her just one year to earn a degree in carpentry, however.

"Now I've been framing houses the last two summers," Ruzek said.

She got into carpentry even though she didn't receive any training in the field at home while growing up.

"I was graduating (from high school) and I needed to figure out something," she said. "So I said, why not that? I like being outside and I like being hands on, so I tried it. And it's not bad."

Ruzek could see a future where she buys houses that need repair, fixes them up and then "flips" them for a profit.

Ruzek and two RCTC teammates — Kandace Sikkink and Kassidy Broadwater — also did some landscaping work together this summer and early fall.

"She's very smart," RCTC women's basketball coach Jason Bonde said. "She's an extremely talented and gifted young lady."

Ruzek has always been gifted on the basketball court as well. She is Lewiston-Altura's all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 1,750 points.

Since she arrived in Rochester, Ruzek has helped build the Yellowjackets into a national powerhouse. This season she has emerged as RCTC's top scorer and she is averaging a lusty 22.4 points per game.

"She's definitely been putting in the time," Bonde said. "She loves to work out."

Ruzek proves this point during the holiday break for the Yellowjackets. She and other teammates were constantly hitting the gym to take extra shots. She has also been the only one in the RCTC gym putting up shots on at least once occasion.

As opponents have tried to take away two-time All-American Olivia Christianson from the RCTC offense, Ruzek has been among the Yellowjackets who have benefited. And she has made the most of the opportunity, shooting 52.3% from the floor and a stellar 43.4% from 3-point range (33-for-76 in nine games).

"Her teammates know where she's at, where her strength of shooting is and they look to get her the ball and she takes advantage of it," Bonde said. "Her confidence is high right now."

Ruzek is more than just a scorer, however. She also averages 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.1 steals per game.

"She's always been a scorer," Bonde said. "I think this year she has just understood what she has to do to improve her game. That comes with maturity and understanding what goes into the college game."

Ruzek is shooting well from behind the arc, but she also has a strong pull-up jumper from 15-17 feet out. She has excelled in RCTC's uptempo offensive attack as well. The Yellowjackets are averaging a whopping 93.9 points per game while allowing just 53.9 per outing.

"I'm just out there playing and if it comes, it comes," Ruzek said of scoring. "If I can do it, I'll do it."

While Ruzek may be known for her scoring ability, she believes she has made the biggest strides on defense since arriving at RCTC.

"I think I'm seeing the court a little bit better, too," she said. "But mostly it's my defense; I've just been more aggressive."

One of the biggest factors for Ruzek's stellar overall play this season is her health. She missed time in each of her first two seasons at RCTC due to injuries. She suffered a broken thumb in 2020-21 and missed 10 games a year ago with an ankle injury. Even though she missed time a year ago, she was still named to the Minnesota College Athletic Conference All-Division first team.

"I just feel better out there all the way around this year," Ruzek said. "It's just different."

She has worked hard in the weight room in an effort to stay healthy this season.

"She's kind of the leader in the weight room," Bonde said. "She makes sure everyone is pushing themselves and she pushes herself a great deal. If we're doing any kind of conditioning, she's always at the head of it."

Ruzek has been contacted by Division II and III colleges. Prior to coming to RCTC, she didn't think she would be interested in playing at a four-year college, but those plans have now changed.

RCTC's main core of Ruzek, Christianson, Broadwater, Sikkink, Ravyn Miles and Lexi Hugeback all returned for a third season with the hopes of winning a national championship. And that goal seems to be within reach.

The 9-0 Yellowjackets are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation among NJCAA Division III women's basketball teams. They placed third in the nation a year ago, and like then, this year's national tournament will be played at Rochester Regional Sports Center.

"We came up short last year and we want to win it this time," Ruzek said.

And if RCTC does claim the national championship, maybe Ruzek will be commissioned to build the trophy case.