Jenny Pruett enters her seventh season as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Saginaw Valley State University in 2025-26, continuing to build a culture of consistency, player development, and academic excellence since her arrival in April 2019.

In her debut season (2019-20), Pruett led the Cardinals to their first GLIAC Tournament appearance since 2016-17. SVSU went 12-17 overall and 8-12 in league play, highlighted by standout freshman Kaitlyn Zarycki, who earned GLIAC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-GLIAC honors — the program’s first postseason recognition in three seasons. Senior Mariah Cook also earned national recognition with an NSCA All-American Athlete Award for her commitment to strength and conditioning.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-affected 2020-21 season, Pruett guided SVSU to a 10-10 overall record and a .500 finish in conference play. The Cardinals advanced to the GLIAC semifinals after upsetting Wayne State in the quarterfinals. Zarycki earned First Team All-GLIAC and GLIAC All-Defensive honors, while Maddie Maloney added Second Team All-GLIAC and a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Off the court, the program excelled academically, ranking 14th in the nation among NCAA DII teams with a 3.684 team GPA, landing on the prestigious WBCA Academic Top 25 list.

In 2021-22, Pruett’s Cardinals took another step forward, finishing 16-11 overall and 11-8 in conference play to secure a third straight GLIAC Tournament berth. Zarycki repeated as a First Team and All-Defensive honoree, while Maloney earned Second Team All-GLIAC. The season also saw three Cardinals — Zarycki, Maloney, and Maddie Barrie — eclipse the 1,000-point mark for their careers.

The 2022-23 season was another milestone campaign, as SVSU finished 16-14 and reached the GLIAC semifinals. Zarycki capped her remarkable career by being named GLIAC Player of the Year, D2CCA Midwest Regional Player of the Year, and a D2CCA Third Team All-American. She was also recognized as a CSCAA Academic All-American and earned the GLIAC Winter Commissioner’s Award. Teammates Tori DePerry and Saniaa Walker also earned All-GLIAC recognition, with DePerry joining Zarycki on the First Team and Walker landing on the All-Defensive Team.

In 2023-24, the Cardinals finished 10-19 (7-11 GLIAC) and returned to the conference tournament. Aleshia Jones earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors in her first year with the program, while Lydia Meredith was named to the All-Defensive Team. One of the season’s highlights came late in the year with a 47-44 upset win at No. 4 Ferris State.

Pruett’s sixth season in 2024-25 brought a bounce-back year, as SVSU posted a 15-14 overall record and a 9-11 mark in conference play. Jones and Meredith repeated their All-GLIAC accolades, while sophomore Megan McCalla had a breakout season, leading the GLIAC in scoring and earning First Team All-GLIAC and D2CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team honors. Walker also returned to the All-Defensive Team in her final season. The Cardinals secured back-to-back regular season wins to climb the standings, including a statement win over Ferris State before bowing out in the GLIAC quarterfinals.

Before arriving at SVSU, Pruett served as an assistant coach at Division I St. Bonaventure for three seasons, helping develop the program’s first Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in over a decade and mentoring a Second Team All-A10 performer. She also played a key role in the Bonnies’ academic success, helping the program earn NCAA recognition for academic progress.

Pruett's collegiate coaching journey also included stops at Kent State, Longwood, and Central Michigan. At Kent State, she led recruiting efforts in Michigan and across multiple states. She worked with guards and served as academic liaison at Longwood, and got her start as a volunteer assistant at Central Michigan in 2010-11. Her coaching career began at the high school level in Virginia, where she transformed Blessed Sacrament Huguenot from a 5-16 team to a 38-20 program over two seasons as head coach.

As a player, Pruett spent three years at Ohio University, where she was a two-time captain and earned All-MAC Tournament and Academic All-MAC honors. She started her college career at Michigan State before transferring. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in Spanish education (2009) and a master’s in coaching education (2010) from Ohio University. In 2016, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the St. Johns High School Hall of Fame in her hometown of St. Johns, Mich.

Pruett lives in Freeland, Michigan with her husband Brad and their two children, Jake and Brynn.