“It’s time for us to climb the mountain. It’s time for us to get back up there.”

Those were the words of Sue Guevara, who spoke Wednesday to media and the public for the first time after being hired as CMU’s new women’s basketball coach.

While the valley dug by former coach Eileen Kleinfelter might be a bit too deep to get out of in one season, we couldn’t have asked for a better coach than Guevara to mold CMU into something it hasn’t been in about 15 years – a perennial contender in the Mid-American Conference.

First, credit needs to be given to Athletics Director Dave Heeke and, more importantly, to Senior Associate Athletics Director Marcy Weston, for this hiring.

Weston spearheaded a very successful search, which involved interviewing numerous potential candidates, before culminating in Guevara’s selection. For years Weston has been respected not only in the state, but across the nation as well, as one of the most influential women when it comes to collegiate sports.

Weston was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and was recognized by the NCAA in 1991 as one of nine major contributors to the first decade (1981-91) of women’s basketball. She even officiated the 1982 and ‘84 women’s national championship games.

Her knowledge is paramount, and it came through again in luring Guevara to coach the Chippewas.

Weston rarely gets credit, mostly because whoever is athletics director does all the talking. But she deserves a ton of credit for this hire.

As for Guevara, there couldn’t have been a better fit for team that last won the MAC in 1982. That’s 25 years ago. No sport, especially one as prominent as women’s basketball, should ever have such a horrible championship drought.

Guevara has all the keys to improve what has become a woeful team – a team that really has become a laughingstock in its own conference.

First, she is very familiar with Michigan. Guevara was an assistant at Michigan State from 1987 to 1996 before she went on to become the University of Michigan’s winningest coach, compiling a 123-82 record in seven seasons.

Guevara also is a good recruiter. She has more than 15 years recruiting experience in Michigan, not to mention the past three years she has spent as an assistant at Auburn University in Alabama. She has recruiting ties across the nation, which always is a plus.

But it’s her overall coaching experience that really will help CMU. She has something that past coaches like Kleinfelter and Fran Voll didn’t – she’s a proven winner on the largest of stages.

CMU fans should start getting excited about their women’s basketball team.

Because they finally have a coach that knows what it takes to win.

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