Guevara Retires After 12 Outstanding Years

Oesterle Named Women's Basketball Head Coach

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Sue Guevara announced her retirement today as the head coach of the Central Michigan women's basketball team.

A press conference will be held in the John G. Kulhavi Events Center North concourse at 1:30 p.m. today. The event is open to the public.

"It is time," Guevara said. "I have been leaning this way since the end of the season but wanted to separate myself from it a little bit to see if I felt the same way, and I do. I love Central Michigan so much – everything about it. When I came in 2007, this place opened its collective arms to me and gave me the support and love needed to build this program. Hopefully, I did CMU proud because I gave it everything I had over the past 12 years and loved every second of it.

"I will miss a lot about leading this program but the thing I will miss the most will be the student-athletes. I have been blessed with having so many young women and their families who have committed to this program and given it their all. The credit for our success should go to them because they believed in me and this program and understood how great it could be. I'd also want to thank our administration for their support, especially President Davies and AD Michael Alford, and the community for really embracing our team and making McGuirk Arena one of the best environments in the country."

Guevara has led the CMU program for the last 12 seasons, posting a record of 231-156. She is the winningest head coach in program history and ranks fifth all-time in the Mid-American Conference.

"Sue Guevara has not only made a tremendous impact on this university, but also the entire community," Central Michigan President Robert O. Davies said. "She is a transformational leader whose energy and passion elevates all those around her. We talk about our primary goal being diplomas in one hand and championship rings on the other when student-athletes leave CMU. Sue has certainly accomplished that in her time here and set the standard for us."

Guevara has taken the Chippewas to unprecedented heights, transforming the program into a Mid-American Conference power and a team to be reckoned with in March. In 2018-19, the Chippewas just won their third-straight MAC championship and played in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. CMU also won a pair of MAC Tournament titles under Guevara's leadership and won four-straight MAC West Division crowns. Guevara was named the MAC Coach of the Year for a third time after this past season.

"This is a bittersweet day for me and our entire department," Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. "While I am happy for Sue and I'm excited about this program moving forward, we all will miss having Coach G around every day because of the passion and leadership she brought to this department.

"She cares deeply about CMU and our student-athletes and was always an important voice in making sure we made decisions in their best interest. Personally, Sue has been an amazing friend to my family and me, and she will always be an important member of the Chippewa family."

Among the other highlights of Guevara's tenure:

In 2017-18, Guevara led CMU to the best season in program history, capped by NCAA Tournament wins over No. 24 LSU and No. 10 Ohio State and a berth in the Sweet 16.
CMU finished 30-5, a program record for victories, and was ranked 20^th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Guevara was named the Kay Yow National Coach of the Year and earned her second MAC Coach of the Year Award. The accolades poured in for Guevara's players. Tinara Moore became the first in program history to earn All-America honors from the Associated Press. She earned the MAC Player of the Year Award and repeated as the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
The 2018-19 squad was led by the dynamic duo of Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost, CMU finished 25-8 including 15-3 in MAC games. Frost became CMU's second-straight MAC Player of the Year Award winner and All-American after Moore accomplished both feats in 2017-18. Hudson became CMU's leading scorer and was named to the All-MAC first team for the third-straight season.
In 2016-17, Guevara led CMU its first regular-season Mid-American Conference championship since 1985.
Guevara's first MAC Coach of the Year Award came in 2015-16, when she guided a young team – led by Hudson, who would earn the MAC Freshman of the Year Award -- to a 22-11 finish and the MAC West crown. She became the first Chippewa mentor to be so honored in more than three decades.
Guevara led CMU to its first MAC Tournament championship in almost 20 years with the 2013 squad. That group included Crystal Bradford, who was the 2014 MAC Player of the Year and the No. 7 pick in the 2015 WNBA draft, the highest selection to come from a MAC institution.
Guevara coached 25 all-conference selections, 14 MAC specialty award winners, 22 Academic All-MAC picks and a pair of Academic All-Americans (Kaihla Szunko, 2011 & Reyna Frost, 2019).

Guevara coached for 39 seasons including seven as the head coach at Michigan. She 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 in 1982 and her master's degree in athletic administration from Ohio State in 1985.

Heather Oesterle will be CMU's next head coach. She has been a member of Guevara's staff the past nine years.

Central Michigan University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Reyna Frost

Presley Hudson

Tinara Moore

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