Young Chippewas Get Down to Work
10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - No, they aren't starting from scratch.
But there is an awful lot of new for the Central Michigan women's basketball team in 2015-16.
"I'm patient, you may not see it, but I have an aggressive patience," said veteran coach Sue Guevara on Tuesday at the team's annual media day at McGuirk Arena. "When we (scrimmaged) the other day … I was just watching the game and really talking to (the players).
"It was a lot more teaching, it was a lot more patience. I said this the other day to my staff, 'If I had a dollar every time I said please, I might retire.'"
The Chippewas were picked to finish fifth in the six-team West Division of the Mid-American Conference in a preseason poll of media that cover the league.
Just one starter, senior guard Da'Jourie Turner, returns and she is one of just four upperclassmen on the roster.
Turner moved into the starting lineup out of necessity a year ago when a rash of injuries plagued the Chippewas, turning what appeared to be a highly promising season into one of disappointment.
Turner started 21 games last season, averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 assists per game while earned All-MAC honorable mention. She said she is well aware that plenty, beginning with leadership, will fall on her shoulders.
"I stayed up here all summer and was in the gym all summer to better myself," she said. "I know I'm going to have to be more of a threat on the perimeter because everybody knows that my go-to is to get to the basket. And just getting my teammates the ball, getting them open looks. We had a lot of threats."
The Chippewas also return 6-foot-2 junior Jewel Cotton, who was lost for the season to a knee injury she suffered in the fourth game a year ago.
Cotton averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in the four games that she played a year ago. Her rehabilitation is complete and now it's a matter of getting back up to speed, she said.
"At first it was a little scary, but helping my team got me more comfortable on the floor but (the injury) is a scary thing," she said. "We scrimmaged Detroit this past weekend and it was a great experience for me. I struggled a little bit but I was able to play through it and that's the mindset I'm going to have the rest of the season."
Jasmine Harris, a 6-1 junior guard, becomes eligible this season after sitting out a year ago after transferring from UMass. While new to the Chippewa lineup, she's a veteran, having started for two years at UMass.
"I definitely have to be a leader on the team," Harris said. "I have to be mature on and off the court for the younger players. We have five sophomores and five freshmen. I want to be someone that they can come to for advice both on and off the court, for anything they need.
"I want to do whatever my coaches and my teammates need me to do. Whether that's 12 points a game, 12 rebounds a game, whatever they need me to do, I want to do."
Several of the underclassmen did see ample playing time a year ago, among them guards Cassandra Breen, Amani Corley and Aleah Swary, and 6-3 forward Tinara Moore. All four are sophomores.
"I like our inside game this year," Guevara said. "I think that they can get up and down the floor and Tinara has worked very hard over the summer. She's stronger, she's finishing.
The five-member freshman class is led by guards Jaeda Robinson and Presley Hudson and forward Reyna Frost.
"This freshmen class, they are the first people in the gym every day," Guevara said. "If we practice at 8 a.m. (Hudson) is in there at 6:45.
"Jaeda Robinson is usually the second player in the gym. She comes from back-to-back (high school) state championships so she knows what it takes. I think this freshmen class has really helped out the sophomores, the juniors that we have. They are all in the gym because it is very competitive."
The play of Turner and Hudson in the backcourt will be critical, Guevara said.
"I think (Turner) has done a really nice job with (Hudson)," she said. "I think she has helped Presley understand the pace that we need to go that when she makes a mistake she needs to keep her head up. I think (Hudson) has been good for (Turner) as long as I've played them together.
"We went to Toronto (for three exhibition games) in the summer which was really good for me because I was petrified we weren't going to be able to score and I played the two of them together and I'll tell you what, that ball gets up and down the floor very quickly."
Chemistry, continuity and consistency are three factors that will be critical to the Chippewas' development. The work ethic and the attitude have been good building blocks, Guevara said.
"With this team, they're very good at holding each other accountable," she said. "They're good at eliminating the white noise (and) each other fix mistakes, keeping each other up, not judging each other (and) not making fun of each other. It's a really cohesive group."
Eastern Michigan was picked to finish first in the MAC West, while Ohio was pegged to win the MAC East. The Bobcats were the pick to win the regular-season and tournament championships.
