It's remarkable to think that less than five months ago Mikaela Ruef was giving birth and now she is back in the WNBL with the Tasmania Jewels and will be celebrating her 150th game in the league on Saturday.
It was only back on June 9 that Ruef gave birth to son Jude and her determination to get back to playing basketball as quickly as possible saw her return in the NBL1 North at the Brisbane Capitals on July 3.
Nine days later and she reminded everyone why she's a double-double machine with 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Northside Wizards, and her next goal was to make it back into the WNBL.
She has already played with the Adelaide Lightning, UC Capitals, Townsville Fire and Sydney Flames, but by the start of the WNBL season she wasn’t signed to a roster.
That changed when Keely Froling injured her calf and the first call that Jewels coach Claudia Brassard put in to Ruef and now the rest is history.
Ruef has joined the Jewels as an injury replacement player and now will celebrate her 150th game in the WNBL this Saturday afternoon when Tasmania looks to win a first road game taking on the Adelaide Lightning.
Given Ruef first played in the WNBL back in the 2014/15 season in Sydney, it's been quite the journey to now get to 150 games with plenty of basketball in Europe, in the WNBL and in the NBL1 thrown in along the way.
"Yeah, it's 150, and I feel like I've been playing in the league forever and I can't believe it's only 150 to be honest," Ruef said.
"I feel like it's been like 800, but I'm there."
Ruef was hoping a WNBL opportunity might present this season but she was back home in Brisbane just focusing on being a mother and working out to stay ready should something come up.
So while it all happened quickly, from Froling getting injured in the Jewels and then Ruef heading straight down to Hobart to become part of the team, she's had no trouble instantly fitting in.
"Yeah, I'm all settled in, and it was a very quick turnaround to start with," Ruef said.
"I think I got the call on the Sunday and then flew down on the Monday, but it's been a really great experience and I'm really happy to be here.
"I was hoping something like this would happen, I was trying to slowly get back to getting fit to be ready for about midway through the season.
"I definitely wasn't expecting it after Week 1, but it was a great opportunity. I love Tassie so when Claudia called, I was like, yep let's do it."
Now that Ruef has been with the Jewels for a couple of weeks and is preparing to play her third game on Saturday in Adelaide, she feels like she's getting better and more comfortable all the time, and the same goes for the entire new squad.
"I think each training is getting better and I came here obviously not in the fitness that I wanted to be in, but that just takes time," Ruef said.
"I think with each training, I've got a little bit more fit and I'm trying to help the girls even if I can't like move as well as I'd like to. I try to share my knowledge and things like that and see if I can help them in those ways."
Ruef has seen plenty in her time in the WNBL, where she won a championship with the Townsville Fire, while having already had stints playing in France as part of her professional career.
She has also been a dominant force playing in the NBL1 North (previously QBL) where she was MVP in 2019 and won a championship in 2021.
Her last full season in the NBL was at the North Gold Coast Seahawks in 2024 where she played 37.7 minutes a game and put up 18.5 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals showing just what a remarkable all-round player she is.
That all means she's seen plenty throughout her career, but being part of the Jewels and the new High Performance Centre is unlikely anything she's experienced at least in Australia.
"Well, this facility is definitely hands down the best facility in the league," Ruef said.
"I think it's pretty amazing to have the equality that it has with the men's and the women's programs, I think that's the thing that stands out to me the most.
"And then being part of the group, I think it's a group of great girls and Claudia is a great person.
"They've been really welcoming to me and Jude so it's been a really great experience and the facility is phenomenal."
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