New CMU coach Heather Oesterle (right) gets a hug from former coach Sue Guevara after Guevara presented Oesterle with a ring commemorating the Chippewas' 2018-19 MAC championship on Sunday at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Ring Ceremony, And Then Down To Business
10/27/2019 4:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Heather Oesterle shows off 2019-20 Chippewa women's basketball team at Maroon & Gold
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – They passed out championship rings, welcomed back alumni, and showed off for the public for the first time in 2019-20.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team, under new but very familiar leadership, hit the McGuirk Arena court on Sunday for its annual Maroon & Gold scrimmage.
Players, coaches and team personnel received their 2019 Mid-American Conference championship rings in a pre-scrimmage ceremony, and then the team played a 10-minute intrasquad scrimmage followed by a 30-minute game against a team comprising 10 former Chippewas.
The Chippewas are now under the direction of Heather Oesterle, a longtime assistant under former coach Sue Guevara. Guevara turned the program into a mid-major power in 12 seasons before retiring after the 2018-19 season and a third-consecutive MAC title and second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
"The expectations don't change for this group," said Oesterle, who is in her 12th year at CMU. "We want to be cutting down the nets, we want another ring ceremony next year. We do have the pieces to compete on the national stage again."
Building Blocks
Those pieces begin with three returning starters, junior guards Micaela Kelly and Maddy Watters, along with sophomore center Jahari Smith.
Kelly, a Third Team All-MAC selection a year ago, is among the best players in the league. She started all 68 games in which she has appeared since arriving on campus a year ago. Watters started all but one game last season.
Both will be counted upon heavily not only to lead the Chippewas on the floor, but off it as well. Both are keenly aware that a good percentage of the leadership load will fall on their shoulders after the graduation of Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson, two of the very best to have ever played at CMU and in the MAC.
"There's no deferring to other people this year," Oesterle said. "It's go time. These guys have got to step up and I've seen a lot of change in just their aggressiveness offensively and their leadership of the team and just taking ownership of the program."
Kelly averaged 14.6 points per game last season, ranking third on the team behind Frost and Hudson. Her shooting percentage from both the free throw line and the 3-point arc showed drastic improvement from her freshman to sophomore seasons, and if she learned anything from the likes of Hudson and Frost, it's that the team comes first.
"It's a really good thing to have your best player work the hardest, and also be the first one to celebrate her teammates," Oesterle said. "I feed off her energy and I know the team does too. She brings it every day and she brings it to everybody around her."
Smith, a 6-footer, started every game a year ago and led the team with a .595 field goal percentage.
"That kid has really come a long ways," Oesterle said. "I've been very impressed with how far she's come from her freshman to sophomore year."
Other Returnees
The Chippewas also return 6-1 junior Kyra Bussell, who logged significant playing time last season and showed signs of tremendous potential. She will start in the frontcourt alongside Smith.
Seniors Gabi Bird and Mackenna Kelly also return along with sophomore guards Anika Weekes, Sophia Karasinski and Kalle Martinez.
Mackenna Kelly, a 5-10 guard/forward, and Bird, a 6-foot senior, share the captainship with Micaela Kelly, and both will be counted upon to fill more-significant gameday roles.
The Newcomers
Molly Davis, a guard from Midland, leads a trio of freshmen that includes guard Kate McArthur and 6-foot forward Shine Strickland-Gills.
Davis will start at point guard which allow the Chippewas plenty of offensive options with Watters and Micaela Kelly.
Davis, Oesterle said, is a gym rat through and through.
"She works her butt off all the time," Oesterle said. "Molly Davis is right here, ready to go. I told her the only way she's coming out of the game is if she passes up open shots.
"That's what I tell all of them; I'm not going to take them out if they miss a couple shots, but I will take them out if they pass up open shots."
Both McArthur and Strickland-Gills have the potential to work into the rotation, Oesterle said.
Adjusting
While the goals and expectations are unchanged with a new person in charge – albeit one who played a critical role in the building of the program into a MAC powerhouse – the '19-20 Chippewas are different than those that took the floor a year ago.
The departure of Guevara, Hudson and Frost guarantees that. Certainly, the solid foundation remains in the program, but that doesn't mean things won't take on a different look.
"We've recruited players to fit this system," Oesterle said. "I'm the type that wants all five people that are on the floor confident to score the basketball. I'm not just going to yank people out for making a mistake, I more so want to give them confidence. All five people on the floor I want them to play with confidence."
Depth
One area of concern, Oesterle said, is depth. The Chippewas started the same five – Micaela Kelly, Watters, Smith, Frost and Hudson – in 32 of their 33 games a year ago, and only Bussell and Bird played significant minutes off the bench.
"We have five starters right now, and then Mackenna Kelly off the bench, and I'm looking for seven, eight, nine -- people who can step in if somebody gets in foul trouble," Oesterle said.
The Schedule
The Chippewas open at McGuirk Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6, a longtime mid-major power that has won at least 20 games in each of the past 20 years. The Phoenix finished second in the Horizon League and was runner-up in their conference tournament a year ago, when it played in the WNIT.
The Chippewas then go to Louisville on Nov. 14 and then to Western Kentucky three days later. Louisville reached the Elite Eight last season. Eight of CMU's nonconference opponents played in the postseason a year ago.
"Our (preconference) schedule is no joke," Oesterle said. "It's very challenging to open the season, but it's going to get us ready (for) March."
The Central Michigan women's basketball team, under new but very familiar leadership, hit the McGuirk Arena court on Sunday for its annual Maroon & Gold scrimmage.
Players, coaches and team personnel received their 2019 Mid-American Conference championship rings in a pre-scrimmage ceremony, and then the team played a 10-minute intrasquad scrimmage followed by a 30-minute game against a team comprising 10 former Chippewas.
The Chippewas are now under the direction of Heather Oesterle, a longtime assistant under former coach Sue Guevara. Guevara turned the program into a mid-major power in 12 seasons before retiring after the 2018-19 season and a third-consecutive MAC title and second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
"The expectations don't change for this group," said Oesterle, who is in her 12th year at CMU. "We want to be cutting down the nets, we want another ring ceremony next year. We do have the pieces to compete on the national stage again."
Building Blocks
Those pieces begin with three returning starters, junior guards Micaela Kelly and Maddy Watters, along with sophomore center Jahari Smith.
Kelly, a Third Team All-MAC selection a year ago, is among the best players in the league. She started all 68 games in which she has appeared since arriving on campus a year ago. Watters started all but one game last season.
Both will be counted upon heavily not only to lead the Chippewas on the floor, but off it as well. Both are keenly aware that a good percentage of the leadership load will fall on their shoulders after the graduation of Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson, two of the very best to have ever played at CMU and in the MAC.
"There's no deferring to other people this year," Oesterle said. "It's go time. These guys have got to step up and I've seen a lot of change in just their aggressiveness offensively and their leadership of the team and just taking ownership of the program."
Kelly averaged 14.6 points per game last season, ranking third on the team behind Frost and Hudson. Her shooting percentage from both the free throw line and the 3-point arc showed drastic improvement from her freshman to sophomore seasons, and if she learned anything from the likes of Hudson and Frost, it's that the team comes first.
"It's a really good thing to have your best player work the hardest, and also be the first one to celebrate her teammates," Oesterle said. "I feed off her energy and I know the team does too. She brings it every day and she brings it to everybody around her."
Smith, a 6-footer, started every game a year ago and led the team with a .595 field goal percentage.
"That kid has really come a long ways," Oesterle said. "I've been very impressed with how far she's come from her freshman to sophomore year."
Other Returnees
The Chippewas also return 6-1 junior Kyra Bussell, who logged significant playing time last season and showed signs of tremendous potential. She will start in the frontcourt alongside Smith.
Seniors Gabi Bird and Mackenna Kelly also return along with sophomore guards Anika Weekes, Sophia Karasinski and Kalle Martinez.
Mackenna Kelly, a 5-10 guard/forward, and Bird, a 6-foot senior, share the captainship with Micaela Kelly, and both will be counted upon to fill more-significant gameday roles.
The Newcomers
Molly Davis, a guard from Midland, leads a trio of freshmen that includes guard Kate McArthur and 6-foot forward Shine Strickland-Gills.
Davis will start at point guard which allow the Chippewas plenty of offensive options with Watters and Micaela Kelly.
Davis, Oesterle said, is a gym rat through and through.
"She works her butt off all the time," Oesterle said. "Molly Davis is right here, ready to go. I told her the only way she's coming out of the game is if she passes up open shots.
"That's what I tell all of them; I'm not going to take them out if they miss a couple shots, but I will take them out if they pass up open shots."
Both McArthur and Strickland-Gills have the potential to work into the rotation, Oesterle said.
Adjusting
While the goals and expectations are unchanged with a new person in charge – albeit one who played a critical role in the building of the program into a MAC powerhouse – the '19-20 Chippewas are different than those that took the floor a year ago.
The departure of Guevara, Hudson and Frost guarantees that. Certainly, the solid foundation remains in the program, but that doesn't mean things won't take on a different look.
"We've recruited players to fit this system," Oesterle said. "I'm the type that wants all five people that are on the floor confident to score the basketball. I'm not just going to yank people out for making a mistake, I more so want to give them confidence. All five people on the floor I want them to play with confidence."
Depth
One area of concern, Oesterle said, is depth. The Chippewas started the same five – Micaela Kelly, Watters, Smith, Frost and Hudson – in 32 of their 33 games a year ago, and only Bussell and Bird played significant minutes off the bench.
"We have five starters right now, and then Mackenna Kelly off the bench, and I'm looking for seven, eight, nine -- people who can step in if somebody gets in foul trouble," Oesterle said.
The Schedule
The Chippewas open at McGuirk Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 6, a longtime mid-major power that has won at least 20 games in each of the past 20 years. The Phoenix finished second in the Horizon League and was runner-up in their conference tournament a year ago, when it played in the WNIT.
The Chippewas then go to Louisville on Nov. 14 and then to Western Kentucky three days later. Louisville reached the Elite Eight last season. Eight of CMU's nonconference opponents played in the postseason a year ago.
"Our (preconference) schedule is no joke," Oesterle said. "It's very challenging to open the season, but it's going to get us ready (for) March."
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