4B || Monday, Nov. 7, 2011 || Central Michigan Life
Women’s basketball team face tough schedule ahead By Kristopher Lodes Staff Reporter
It is a tough road ahead for the Central Michigan women’s basketball team this season. “We’re in a tough conference,” said head coach Sue Guevara. “The West (division) is pretty tough and the East (division), thank goodness we only play them once.” The Chippewas open up their season at home against Big Ten opponent Northwestern. A week later, they hit the road to play Robert Morris and Big East opponent Pittsburgh, who took them out last year at McGuirk Arena, 94-78. “Last year we had a really good chance against Northwestern and we got to get Pittsburgh back,” said senior forward Skylar Miller. “Last year they (Pitt) came into our place and got us pretty good.” After Pitt, the team travels to Anchorage, Alaska to take part in the Great Alaskan Shootout where they will see South Florida, another Big East opponent. A win could possibly set up a game No. 9 Miami in the next round. Wichita State comes after
the tournament, a team that went to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. CMU then returns home to play Bradley, and then what might be its toughest nonconference opponent of the non-conference season against No. 21 Purdue. “We just have to treat it like another game,” Miller said. “We don’t have anything to lose and hopefully we can get a win and send them back.” After Purdue, the Chippewas hit the road again for a rematch with Southeastern Conference opponent, Ole Miss, who beat them last year at McGuirk Arena, 82-66. CMU ends its non-conference season with two road tournaments at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, and Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. “The Wright State tournament is an exempted tournament where we play three games and it only counts as one,” Guevara said. “It is a really good tournament right before Christmas.” At Wright State the Chippewas play Southeast Missouri State, Longwood and Wright State, another WNIT oppo-
nent. In Tulane, CMU starts off with a Hampton team that took Kentucky into overtime in the NCAA tournament last season. “Hampton, that is a pretty good basketball team right there,” Guevara said. “They’re big, athletic and they get up and down the court.” The Chippewas finish the non-conference season against either the Green Wave or the College of Charleston. “The tough schedule will get the younger players acclimated to big games,” Miller said. “I really think they can handle it.” With such a tough schedule, CMU should be prepared to face the top teams of the MAC and compete for the conference championship. The Mid American Conference isn’t a pushover conference and the Chippewas have been picked to finish runnerup in the West behind defending WNIT champions Toledo. CMU also faces defending MAC champions Bowling Green one time at McGuirk Arena. sports@cm-life.com
Show more support for women’s basketball team Kristopher Lodes Staff Reporter
C
alling all Chippewa fans. Central Michigan women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara wants you to come out and support her team as it plays one of the toughest home schedules in recent history. The Chippewas kick off their season in McGuirk Arena at noon on Friday against Big Ten opponent Northwestern, who beat them 92-84 last season. That isn’t the only Big Ten opponent that will make the trip to Mount Pleasant this season. CMU will welcome No. 21 Purdue on Dec. 11 after hosting Bradley on Dec. 3, who is known to be a quality basketball school. The Chippewas want a strong supporting crowd to
Trio | continued from 1b
“The three captains have done a really nice job,” said head coach Sue Guevara. “Whether it’s when they are out on the floor leading by example or talking to the players and making sure people understand what they are doing.” This season the Chippewas must replace Kaihla Szunko and Shonda Long, their captains and top two leading scorers from a year ago. According to Guevara, it will take a variety of players to do this, including the team’s three captains. “There isn’t one player that is going to be able to do a double-double like Szunko,” she said. “Same thing with Long and her ability score, but we have a lot of capable players on this team.” Baker and Miller are both returning starters with Baker being CMU’s top returning scorer. She was third on the team, averaging 13 points a game while leading the team with 156 assists. Miller started every game a year ago and averaged 6.5 points per game. Welch appeared in 21 games in her freshman season, averaging 11 minutes a game. She has a bigger role this season as a sophomore and has been playing a lot of point guard in practice. “Kylie Welch has done a really nice job of running this basketball team,” Guevara said. “When she’s on the floor, she understands the game. Combine her with Baker and I have two point guards on the floor that understand and know what needs to be done.” The youth requires more teaching from both Guevara and the team’s captains. “It’s our job to constantly talk to our team, “Welch said.
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help this young, but talented team over the hump against some stiff non-conference competition. But the strong competition doesn’t end with the nonconference season. After being on the road for a full month, CMU welcomes Mid-American Conference play with rival Western Michigan on Jan. 11. Guevara wants to have the fans in the stands and is willing to whatever it takes to get a strong crowd in McGurik Arena. One big way to get fans to come is to win, which the team has done, going 19-11 last season with big wins against Ole Miss and Wichita State. Also, taking Iowa and Northwestern to the wire. CMU is fun to watch and averaged 80.8 points a game last season while scoring in the triple digits three times and 90-plus points eight times. It is an exciting team and so were the games last season,
with six games decided by six points or less, including that last-second win against EMU at home. The Chippewas appeared in their first postseason tournament (WNIT) since the 1983-84 season when they got into the NCAA Tournament. The team lost its top two scorers, Kaihla Szunko and Shonda Long, but return three starters, senior forward Skylar Miller, guard and MAC Freshman of the Year Niki DiGuilio and junior guard Brandie Baker. It also returns sixth Player of the Year sophomore forward Taylor Johnson.The Chippewas also added the No. 43 recruiting class in the nation with Inkster High School freshmen guards Crystal Bradford, Leah Scott, forward Jas’Mine Bracey, Petoskey guard Kerby Tamm and Belleville guard Jessica Green. This team will be fun to watch and I would highly recommend going to watch this team as it look for its first MAC title since 1984.
“We have a lot of new players this year. We need to make sure they know what they’re doing on offense and defense.” The captains accept the responsibility of helping the younger players on and off of the court. “On the court we need to tell them over and over what’s going on, things like what defense we’re in and where they need to be on offense,” Baker said. “But just as importantly off the court, we need to make
sure they’re going to class, going to study table and keeping their grades up.” The challenges facing the Chippewas are apparent, however. “I think it’s going pretty good so far,” Welch said. “The new players that we have want to learn and want to get better. They have been asking a lot of questions. I don’t think chemistry will be an issue with this team.”
W o m e n ’ s B a s k etb a l l
Freshmen should make impact for basketball team this season By Brandon Champion Staff Reporter
A major part of the Central Michigan women’s basketball team this season will be its youth. CMU has the 43rd ranked recruiting class in the country, the highest rated class its ever had. The Chippewas are led by guard Crystal Bradford, who was rated the 37th best prospect in the nation. The 6-foot guard from Detroit had offers from Louisville, Marquette and Kansas, but chose CMU. “I could have gone a lot of places,” Bradford said. “Coach Guevara and her assistants had been recruiting me for a long time and when I came up for a visit, I really liked the campus, the team.” Despite the hype, Bradford knows expectations don’t guarantee results and that the college game is a big step up from high school. “College basketball is a lot harder,” Bradford said. “There’s
NCAA| continued from 1B
With the Broncos loss, CMU’s chances of a tournament bid slightly increases because Toledo earned the only automatic bid from the
loss| continued from 1B
man Courtney Williams caught another. Williams went up and over the defending corner to catch a Ryan Radcliff pass in the back of the end zone. It was his fourth touchdown reception of the year. Davis had a career day with 10 receptions for 192 yards
a lot more plays, it takes more discipline and the coaches will sit you down if you don’t listen.” Two of Bradford’s high school teammates chose CMU. Forward Jas’Mine Bracey was rated the No. 9 player in Michigan and guard Leah Scott was rated the No. 19 prospect. The trio won a state championship while playing at Inkster High School last season and looks to continue that success this season. “We have great chemistry,” Bradford said. “We have been playing together for a very long time and coming here is just another step and another level, we’re working on getting better and improving.” The three newcomers are getting most of the attention, but Guevara wants people to focus on the class as a whole. “We have to look at our entire class, not just the three from Inkster,” she said. “I don’t have any higher expectations for someone because there ranked higher.” Jessica Green from Belleville and Kerby Tamm from Peto-
skey are the two who few are talking about, but are players Guevara is very excited about. “Kerby thinks the game very well and is a true playmaker,” she said. “Green is silky smooth and a quick-handed thief on defense. She sees the floor very well and her defense directly leads to a lot of buckets.” The freshman class should have an impact in 2011 and according to Guevara, their addition makes CMU deeper and more athletic than any team she has ever had. “We have a lot of depth, but its inexperienced depth,” Guevara said. “With the talent we have on this team my goal is to play them all.” The freshman class is talented, but even talent makes mistakes. “It great for a program, but you can’t go by the rankings.” Guevara said. “Our freshmen have a lot of talent, but they make a lot of aggressive mistakes.”
MAC. A WMU win, potentially meant the Rockets would receive an at-large bid. Now, the Broncos are most likely eliminated from receiving a bid because both Toledo and CMU have posted better overall records. Boasting a 15-3-3 record with quality non-conference
wins against Wisconsin, Louisville and Pittsburgh, the Chippewas seek to become the only MAC team in conference history to receive a possible at-large bid. The selections will be announced Monday afternoon.
and the two touchdowns. He was starting in place of the injured Cody Wilson, who was limited at wide receiver because of a foot injury. “I knew I had to step up and have a big day,” Davis said. It was the third time this season that the Chippewas had a chance to tie or win on the last play and lost. “Right now, we don’t pick ourselves up. We lick our wounds,” Radcliff said. Wilson snapped his con-
secutive games with a reception streak at 28 games. He wasn’t able to check in at receiver, but he still was the holder for kicks. The Chippewas host the Ohio Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. “Very good win for this football team,” said Kent State coach Darrell Hazell. “I’m proud of these guys.”
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