EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE women’s basketball Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith has made an addition to her coaching staff, welcoming Eric Gruber as an assistant.

“I want to thank Coach Sam, the rest of the coaching staff, and the student-athletes for welcoming me with open arms to SIUE,” Gruber said. “I couldn’t be more excited to get started. This program has a great thing going, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Gruber most recently spent a season as an assistant at Division II Parkside, helping the Rangers to an 18-11 record while coaching two student-athletes to First-Team All-GLIAC honors during the 2022-23 season. Before Parkside, Gruber spent two years as an assistant coach at Coe College.

At Coe during the 2020-21 season, Gruber helped lead the women’s basketball team to a second-place finish while guiding the Kohawks to their first conference title game appearance since 2014.

Prior to his time at Coe, Gruber spent one year at Loras College, where he helped lead the Duhawks to their best season in program history, finishing the season with a record of 25-4, ranking seventh in the country at the Division III level. The Duhawks won their first two NCAA tournament games that season, making it to the round of sixteen before their season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gruber began as the women’s basketball graduate assistant coach at North Central College for two seasons. In addition to his role at North Central, Gruber served as the head coach for the Chicago Lockdown, an AAU program, for three seasons. 

Gruber graduated from North Central in spring 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast communication and a master’s degree in leadership studies with an emphasis in sports leadership in 2019.

“We are thrilled to add Eric Gruber to our staff,” Smith said. “His experience in a strong Division II conference and former experience as a student-athlete will be a great asset to our program. His ability to teach the game and connect with student athletes will be a great addition to our family,”

SIUE will open its new season in an exhibition contest on Thursday, Nov. 2, welcoming Maryville to First Community Arena followed by a nonconference slate featuring 13 games.

Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEWBB on X, @SIUEWBB on Instagram, and SIUE Women’s Basketball on Facebook.