Every so often, a coaching move happens that just makes sense. It feels right—not because of flash or headlines, but because of grit, heart, and a story that’s bigger than basketball.
Zach Ruebesam is that story.
This week, the former Colorado men’s basketball assistant was officially named the head coach at CSU Pueblo. And let me tell you, as someone who attending CSU-Pueblo for one year, there may not be a more deserving hire in college hoops right now.
Ruebesam didn’t come up through the ranks as a star player or fast-track recruiter. He started as a student manager at CU. A manager! The dude was rebounding in practice, folding jerseys, and likely doing the grunt work most people never notice.
But the beauty of it? He noticed. He learned. And he never stopped working.
From 2012 to 2016, while most college students were just trying to figure out life, Ruebesam was soaking up the game like a sponge. He was there for three NCAA Tournament runs under Tad Boyle, and he quietly became one of the most trusted young minds in the room.
After CU, he paid his dues—working at Denver, then at Belmont Abbey College, before finding his way back to Boulder in 2021 as the Director of Player Development. He climbed again, earning a well-deserved assistant coach title in 2023. And now? He’s running his own program.
I’ll be real with you—this hire makes me believe in the system again. Ruebesam is a Colorado guy through and through (originally from Berthoud, Colorado). He knows what it means to build something from the ground up.
CSU Pueblo is getting a coach who isn’t about flash or hype. He’s about culture. He’s about player development. And he’s about winning the right way.
And here’s my bold take: this won’t be the last stop.
Call it a hunch, but I truly believe Zach Ruebesam will one day be on a Division I sideline during March Madness, leading some gritty mid-major to a Cinderella win that has the whole country on its feet. The kind of upset you remember forever.
Because coaches like this? They don’t just climb. They inspire. They stick around. And they make you proud to say, “Yeah, that guy started here.”
Congratulations, Coach Ruebesam. Pueblo’s lucky to have you.