The job isn’t complete, but the task is well underway and off to a running start.
Sue Guevara took over the Central Michigan women’s basketball program with one goal in mind: help the Chippewas return to the top of the Mid-American Conference.
“We want to win championships and compete at a high level,” Guevara said. “There are always going to be changes and challenges to embrace, and doing so will allow us to build our program’s future. This is the last year in Rose Center, and we want to bring a championship-level team into our new events center.”
Last year’s 18-win campaign marked the program's best season since 1990-91 (21-8). The Chippewas also snapped a 16-game postseason losing skid that dated back to 1992 with a win over Akron in the opening round of the MAC Tournament and advanced to the tournament’s quarterfinals for the first time since the field expanded to include all 12 teams in 2000. The 10.5 game improvement from Guevara’s first season is the third-largest in MAC history.
CMU's up-tempo offense and aggressive defense both ranked among the nation's leaders statistically. The Chippewas ranked fourth in the nation in scoring (78.3), eighth in threes per contest (8.0), 11th in turnover margin (+4.97) and 13th in steals (11.4) last season.
School records also fell in Guevara’s second year at the helm. Angel Chan’s 92 threes were the most in a single season in program history, and Houghton and Chan teamed up to become the program’s highest-scoring duo in history (992 points). The Chippewas also connected on 255 threes, which bested the previous program high by more than 60 triples and is the third-most in league history.
But the accomplishments don’t stop there. CMU’s scoring average (78.3) and steal total (366) in 2008-09 were the second-best marks in program history, and the 2,505 points scored were a program record. CMU has also had 40 individual scoring efforts of 20 or more points in Guevara’s 61 games at the helm after having just 14 such efforts in the four seasons prior to her arrival (114 games).
As Guevara enters her ninth season as a head coach, third at CMU, she has plenty of building blocks in place. Senior Britni Houghton earned second team All-MAC honors in 2008-09, the highest honor a Chippewa has received since 1997. In addition, Brandie Baker was named MAC Freshman of the Year as a member of the freshman All-MAC squad.
Houghton became the 17th player in school history to cross the 1,000-point barrier, just the fifth to do so prior to her senior season, and her 533 points were the second-most in a single season in program history.
Sophomore Kaihla Szunko also became just the second Chippewa in program history to lead the MAC in rebounding (9.8 boards) mere months after recovering from a major knee injury in the 2007 preseason. The Szunko and Baker (5.9 boards) tandem was the MAC’s top rebounding duo.
Graduating senior Angel Chan also earned honorable mention All-MAC accolades following a season in which she set the program record for made threes (92) and became the 18th player in CMU history to score 1,000 career points.
With a chance to return to the state she loved after three years at Auburn, Guevara became the Chippewas’ 10th head coach in April 2007.
“I am so happy to be coming back to Michigan and for the opportunity to lead this program,” Guevara said at the press conference. “I feel that with the vision that CMU Athletics Director Dave Heeke has for this department and the resources available, we can compete for MAC championships every year. We will raise the level of play and have a team that this university and this community can be proud of.
“One of the things that really attracted me to this position was this community. I remember going to camp here at Finch Fieldhouse as a young player, and it is amazing how this university and Mount Pleasant have grown yet still kept their small-town feel. This is such a great state for women’s basketball because it has so many fundamentally sound coaches teaching its young players.”
The Michigan native brings 30 seasons of coaching experience at the collegiate level to the sidelines of Rose Arena, including seven seasons of head coaching experience at the University of Michigan. She is U of M’s all-time winningest coach both in total wins (123) and winning percentage (.600). During her time with the Wolverines, she also piled up the most Big Ten wins (57) and the best conference winning percentage (.510) of any head women’s basketball coach in U of M’s history. Five of Michigan’s six postseason appearances came during Guevara’s time on the bench.
Prior to CMU, Guevara served as an assistant coach at Auburn for three seasons under Nell Fortner, head coach of the gold medal winning 1998 World Championship and 2000 Olympic teams. The Tigers advanced to the WNIT Elite Eight in 2006-07 and sent a pair of players to the WNBA during Guevara’s time there.
Guevara’s revitalization of the University of Michigan program occurred over seven seasons (1996-2003) as the Wolverines amassed a 123-82 record during her tenure. Michigan had gone 20-88 in the four seasons prior to her arrival.
“Everything I saw when I took the job at Michigan, I see here today at Central Michigan,” Guevara said when she was hired. “We have everything in place at CMU to win a Mid-American Conference championship. We’ve put together a great staff of coaches who are teachers and talent evaluators. We have a passion for Central Michigan and for returning this program to the level it was once at.”
She took the Michigan program into the national spotlight with four consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in the program’s history and led Michigan to three NCAA Tournament bids (1998, 2000 and 2001), including a spot in the second round in 2001. The Wolverines also made a pair of appearances in the WNIT in 1999 and 2002.
Guevara was twice named the Big Ten Coach of the Year (1998, 2000) and was named Michigan Coach of the Year in 2000. She developed Stacey Thomas into Michigan’s first Kodak All-American in 2000 and the school’s first four-time All-Big Ten selection. Guevara coached 17 All-Big Ten honorees including the lone first team selections in Michigan history, Pollyanna Johns in 1998 and Stacey Thomas in 2000.
The Wolverines were ranked as high as No. 12 nationally during the 2001-02 season and again in 2002-03. The 1999-2000 squad set the school record for wins in a season with 22 and finished second in the Big Ten, Michigan’s highest finish ever. Four Wolverine players were selected in the WNBA Draft during Guevara’s time at Michigan.
“Sue knows what it takes to be successful at this level, and that is what we need in a head coach,” CMU Athletics Director Dave Heeke said. “I was impressed with the experience Sue brings from her time at Michigan, Michigan State and Auburn. Her ability to recruit and develop successful student-athletes at this level is one of her biggest strengths and something we looked for. She also brings a great knowledge of and connections to the state of Michigan, which makes her an effective recruiter. We are committed to competing for championships and developing outstanding student-athletes and Sue will do both during her time here.”
Guevara was at Michigan State as an assistant coach under Karen Langeland for nine seasons (1987-1995) before being promoted to associate head coach for her 10th season with MSU. The Spartans posted a record of 149-131 during Guevara’s time in East Lansing.
Before MSU, Guevara spent a season as an assistant coach at Ball State after spending a year as a graduate assistant for Ohio State University in 1984-85. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten championship and reached the regional finals that season.
In addition, Guevara led the Big Ten All-Star team on a European tour through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary in 2000. She also was an assistant coach for the 1993 Big Ten tour team that recorded a perfect 6-0 record while playing in England and Scotland.
Interestingly, Guevara’s coaching career began on the softball diamond. She served as Saginaw Valley State’s head softball coach from 1979-84 in addition to her hardwood duties as an assistant coach. She was named GLIAC Softball Coach of the Year in 1984.
Guevara is a native of Saginaw, Mich. where she attended Saginaw St. Stephens High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Saginaw Valley State University in 1982 and her master’s degree in athletic administration from Ohio State in 1985.
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Courtesy: Robert Barclay/CMU
