Vegas-Bound Chippewas All Business
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas, Thanksgiving, plenty to see, plenty to see, plenty to distract one from the task at hand.
For the Central Michigan women's basketball team, it's all about what happens on the court at South Point Arena.
"Remember, this is a business trip," Chippewa coach Sue Guevara said, repeating the refrain she delivered to her players as they prepared to depart for the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout where they will play games on Thursday and Friday. "We are out there to win two games. This is why we're going this. This is a business trip for us."
And, if the Chippewas (1-1) step on the South Point Arena floor sans their A game, they may very well find themselves reeling. The opponents are Richmond (Thursday) of the Atlantic 10 and Oregon (Friday) of the Pac 12.
Both should serve as stiff tests - the teams are a combined 5-1 - and, coupled with the travel and the players being out of their element at Thanksgiving, the entire experience should do what Guevara envisions: Make the Chippewas better.
"I think it really gives us a smorgasbord of different types of styles that we're going to play," Guevara said. "I know the referees aren't supposed to call it different out west, but it always feels that way when we go there. It takes us, again, out of our comfort zone and gets us ready for the MAC."
The league portion of the season doesn't begin for more than a month. The Chippewas are just beginning a meat-grinder of a non-conference slate that has become the norm under Guevara, who is in her eighth year.
After winning their opener over UMass, the Chippewas took ninth-ranked and unbeaten Kentucky to the wire last Saturday before succumbing, 71-68.
Richmond is 3-0, Oregon 2-1. Neither is ranked, but both appear to present the Chippewas solid tests. The Spiders have beaten two BIG EAST teams, Georgetown and Providence; the Ducks hit the century mark in their season-opening win over Utah State, and their lone loss came against No. 11 North Carolina, 76-59. Oregon led the unbeaten Tar Heels at halftime.
And while the opposition is good, it's what Guevara discovers about her Chippewas that is of ultimate importance.
"What we really gained out of that Kentucky game is I learned that I've got nine people who can play," Guevara said.
Which is crucial in both the long and short terms for the Chippewas. Star Crystal Bradford, who earlier this week was one of 25 players nationwide to be named to the Wade Trophy Watch List (regarded as the Heisman Trophy for women's college basketball), is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.
Bradford is averaging a team-high 28.5 minutes and 11.5 points per game. Last season, Bradford, who is second on the school career scoring list and is the reigning MAC Player of the Year, averaged 20.3 points and 31.9 minutes per game.
"She played 30 minutes against Kentucky and it wasn't one of her best performances," Guevara said of Bradford, who had six points on 2-of-12 shooting against the Wildcats. "What I took out of that Kentucky game was that we can play with teams without her. That to me is a good confidence builder so that when she's not in the game, when I do have to rest her, I feel pretty good with who I have out there, that we can still play."
That may also help ease the pressure that Bradford may put on her herself, Guevara said.
"It's like, `My minutes are limited so I have to make something happen right now,'" Guevara said. "Guess what, you don't have to. When she is out there she's playing as hard as she can to get herself into shape because she's not in shape yet.
"And I think that's good for CB too because she's looking out and it's `You know what, I don't have to be out there, I don't have to make it happen right now.'
"And I think that's kind of what she's been trying to do with the minutes that she gets. I'm hoping by the time MAC starts (Jan. 3) she's going to be ready to go (100 percent). She's going to be in better shape, and this team's depth is going to have some experience."
