CMU Women Loaded -- And Motivated
10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Less than a minute into her Media Day press conference on Thursday, Sue Guevara got to the point.
"We lost a championship, 3.4 seconds, because we didn't get a stop," the Central Michigan women's basketball coach said. "I think our players have really made a commitment to that side of the ball. All summer, that's all we did -- defense.
"I think the motivation is 3.4 seconds. We were that close and couldn't get over that hump."
Guevara's Chippewas were tied with Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship in Cleveland last March when the Bulls inbounded the ball with 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime and beat the buzzer with the game-winning shot, handing CMU a heartbreaking 73-71 loss.
The Bulls went on to the NCAA Tournament; CMU to the WNIT.
"We will be back," Guevara said in the postgame press conference after that loss to Buffalo.
Well, they're back.
The Chippewas were the surprise team in the MAC a year ago, winning the West Division and reaching the tournament title game after being picked to finish fifth in their six-team division. They finished 22-11, the second-highest win total in program history.
Four starters and every key reserve return, including guard Presley Hudson, the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2015-16, and forward Jewel Cotton, the league's reigning Co-Sixth Player of the Year.
"We know we have a target on our back, we know that," said Cotton, the team captain and one of just two seniors on the roster. "We've just got to worry about ourselves and our performance. That's one thing coach G emphasizes is our performance, regardless of who we play."
Any way you look at it, the Chippewas are formidable. The top four scorers return in Hudson (13.9 points per game), Tinara Moore (13.7), Cassie Breen (12.6) and Cotton (8.8).
Moore, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, along with Cotton, who is listed at 6-2, and 6-foot sophomore Reyna Frost combine to give CMU an explosive front line, perhaps as good as any in Guevara's 10 years in charge of the program.
Moore and Hudson earned All-MAC Second Team honors a year ago; Moore earned a spot on the league's all-defensive team; Hudson and Frost were named to the MAC All-Freshman squad; and Guevara was named the MAC Coach of the Year.
Moore ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (.562), tied for second with 1.6 blocks per game, and was third in rebounding (9.6). Frost was fourth in rebounds per game (9.3) and topped the league in offensive rebounds (3.7 per) while Moore ranked third (3.2).
"We don't have the prolific player like we did with (Crystal) Bradford," said Guevara, referring to the former Chippewa and WNBA draft pick. "But I think this team is the most talented we've had depth-wise in the post."
That depth extends to the wing and the backcourt. Hudson, who knocked down free throws at a MAC-best 88.4-percent clip last season, and Breen combine to give CMU a deadly 3-point combination.
A year ago, the two combined to make 36.3 percent of their triple tries. Jasmine Harris, the only other senior on the roster, can also bomb it, having made 31.7 of her attempts from beyond the arc last season. Two other capable sharpshooters, junior Aleah Swary and redshirt freshman Gabrielle Bird, are waiting in the wings.
Amani Corley, a junior who played increasing minutes as the 2015-16 season progressed, adds another dimension to the backcourt. Micaela Kelly, a transfer from DePaul, may also figure prominently into the mix at guard though the Chippewas are awaiting word as to the status of her eligibility under the NCAA transfer rules.
"With the emergence of Amani Corley, (and) with Micaela Kelly," Guevara said, "we have three very capable people at the point position where I could easily play all three.
"We have a lot of experienced depth on our team where we can go a little bit deeper. I don't ever remember going nine deep and that's a real possibility for us this year."
Both Hudson and Corley will be expected to assume stronger leadership roles, a critical component particularly with the loss to graduation of guard Da'Jourie Turner.
To help facilitate that progression, Guevara put her team through a leadership-training program over the summer. The players were divided into two teams, with Hudson and Corley captaining their respective squads.
"They had to lead, they had to direct, they had to instruct, they had to make somebody accountable," Guevara said. "They had to open their mouths and be heard. I've seen more of that, I've heard more of that from both of them."
Certainly, the potential is there for the Chippewas to contend for the MAC title and an NCAA berth. The preseason MAC poll has yet to be released, but it's almost certain that CMU will be among the favorites, both in its division and overall.
Guevara prefers not to focus on any of that and instead on what she and her players can control today.
"I say this every year, it doesn't matter where we're picked," she said. "It's just about getting better every single game, knowing that we're always going to get everybody's best game, and we're always going to have our A game with us."
