Sue Guevara - Women's Basketball Coach - Central Michigan University Athletics

Sue Guevara

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
gueva1sm@cmich.edu
Phone:
(989) 774-1944

In her 12 years at the helm of the Central Michigan women’s basketball program, Sue 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.

Guevara led the Chippewas to yet another remarkable season in 2018-19 as they won their third-consecutive Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and earned their second-straight NCAA Tournament bid.

Led by the dynamic duo of guard Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost, CMU finished 25-8 including 15-3 in MAC games and further solidified its position among the premier mid-major programs in the nation.

It marked the fourth-straight season, and the eighth time in the last nine, that the Chippewas have won at least 20 games. The 25 victories is the third-highest total in program history. Eleven times since the program began in 1967-68 has a Chippewa team won 20 or more games; Guevara has coached eight of those squads.

Guevara earned the MAC Coach of the Year for the second-consecutive season in 2019 and for the third time in her career.

The trip to the NCAA Tournament, which ended in a one-point loss to Michigan State, was CMU’s fourth consecutive postseason appearance.

The Chippewas ranked ninth in the nation in scoring at 80.5 points per game, and finished the season with an RPI of 32, a well-earned station that results from seeking out the best competition.

That’s become a Guevara trademark as she put her team on the floor against any and all comers in ’18-19, when the Chippewas faced six opponents that had reached the NCAA Tournament in the previous season.

The Chippewas posted victories over Miami (Fla.) and Virginia of the ACC, and Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference. All three of those wins came on the road, and the Hurricanes were ranked 24^th nationally at the time.

The Chippewas welcomed No. 3 Louisville to McGuirk Arena just before Christmas and went toe-to-toe with a squad that had gone to the Final Four the previous season before succumbing, 72-68, before 2,833 partisan Chippewa supporters.

The 25 wins upped Guevara’s career ledger at CMU to 231-156, including 100-33 over the last four seasons.

Frost became CMU’s second-straight MAC Player of the Year Award winner and All-American after Tinara Moore accomplished both feats in 2017-18.

Frost, who hails from Reese, finished among the nation’s top rebounders and completed her career as the MAC’s all-time leading rebounder. She scored a program-record 733 points during her senior season, and finished fourth on CMU’s all-time career scoring list with 1,794 points.

Hudson, a Wayland native, tops that list with 2,309 points. She is also the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers, steals, and free throw percentage.

The Guevara protégés earned national recognition on several fronts. Hudson won the nationally televised 3-point contest in front of a massive U.S. Bank Stadium crowd in Minneapolis, and was one of 10 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which goes to the top point guard in the nation. Frost was a finalist for the Katrina McClain Award, which goes to the nation’s top power forward.

Both Frost and Hudson are now playing professionally in Europe, joining former teammates Moore and Cassie Breen in the pro ranks.

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, and with an outstanding RPI of 15. They finished 17-1 in MAC play, the second-highest win total in league game in program history behind the ’83-84 squad that went a perfect 18-0.

Guevera took the Chippewas into the NCAA Regional fresh off their second consecutive Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and their first MAC Tournament title since 2013.

They were seeded 11^th in the regional, which was played in Columbus, Ohio, and stunned sixth-seeded LSU to open the tournament, and then pulled off another shocker, this time knocking off the third-seeded Buckeyes on their own campus, 95-78. Ohio State entered the tournament as the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships.

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. 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.

Guevara became the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories when she led her Chippewas to a 70-64 win at Ohio on Feb. 15, 2017. It was win No. 172 at CMU for Guevara, who surpassed Donita Davenport (1984-96) atop the list.

In 2016-17, Guevara led CMU its first regular-season Mid-American Conference championship since 1985, and the Chippewas’ 23 wins (against nine losses) was the fourth-highest win total in program history.

Guevara’s record is even more impressive in light of the fact that CMU regularly takes on all comers, including the aforementioned Louisville Cardinals and Miami Hurricanes, along with the likes of then-No. 1 Notre Dame to open the ’16-17 season.

Among the other big-name programs from Power-5 conferences the Chippewas have gone head-to-head with during Guevara’s tenure are Purdue, Iowa State, South Carolina, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oregon and Duke as well as perennial mid-major powers Middle Tennessee, Quinnipiac and Duquesne.

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’s lengthy list of players who have earned individual league honors during her time at CMU includes three who have been named the MAC Player of the Year, three who have been named the league freshman of the year, four who have garnered the Sixth Player of the Year Award, nine who have been named to the all-freshman squad, two who have been named the league defensive player of the year, and three who have captured the MAC Tournament MVP Award.

Among those to capture several of those individual honors is Crystal Bradford, who closed a brilliant collegiate career in 2015 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the seventh pick in the WNBA draft. Bradford became the first Chippewa drafted by a WNBA team, and, at No. 7, the highest pick in history to come from a MAC institution.

Among the other highlights of Guevara's tenure:

• The first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, a 78-69 triumph over LSU on March 17, 2018.

• A single-game attendance record, 5,195, for a home game against Georgetown on Nov. 25, 2010.

• Defeating the highest-ranked team in program history, No. 12/14 Purdue, on Dec. 11, 2011, which was also the first victory in McGuirk Arena.

• An upset of No. 23 Louisville on Dec. 2, 2010, which was the final win in Rose Center.

Guevara was named to head the Chippewa program in April, 2007, bringing three decades of collegiate coaching experience, including seven (1996-2003) as the head coach at Michigan.

Guevara compiled a 123-82 record at U-M and her 123 victories rank second in program history. U-M had finished a combined 20-88 in the four seasons prior to Guevara’s arrival in Ann Arbor.

Guevara took Michigan into the national spotlight, leading it to five postseason appearances including NCAA Tournament berths in 1998, 2000 and 2001. The Wolverines were ranked as high at 12th nationally during the 2001-02 season and again in 2002-03. She was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in both 1998 and in 2000.

In 1999-2000, Guevara’s Wolverines posted 22 victories and finished second in the Big Ten regular-season standings, which remains U-M best finish in conference play. The 22 victories are tied for the second most in program history. Four Wolverines were drafted by WNBA teams during Guevara’s tenure.

Guevara served as an assistant at Michigan State under Karen Langeland for nine seasons (1987-1995) before being promoted to associate head coach for her 10th season with MSU. The Spartans posted a record of 149-131 during Guevara's time in East Lansing.

Before MSU, Guevara spent a season as an assistant coach at Ball State after serving as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 1984-85. She helped the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship and a trip to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament.

Guevara led the Big Ten All-Star team on a European tour through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary in 2000. She also was an assistant coach for the 1993 Big Ten tour team that recorded a perfect 6-0 record while playing in England and Scotland.

Guevara's coaching career began on the softball diamond as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State from 1979-84. She also served simultaneously as an assistant coach in the women’s basketball program. She was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Coach of the Year in 1984.

Before coming to CMU, Guevara worked as an assistant for three seasons at Auburn under Nell Fortner, who coached the United States to the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics and 1998 World Championships.

Guevara 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.