Meeting women's coach Sue Guevara


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Jake May/Staff Photographer

There was a time when CMU women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara doubted her ability to continue coaching at the collegiate level.

Guevara lost her mother in 2002 and later resigned as head coach at the University of Michigan on March 24, 2003, after a pair of losing seasons.

“(My mother’s death) hit me harder than I thought,” Guevara said. “I really questioned if I could put a program back together.”

While well known in the state as a basketball coach now, Guevara actually started out in nursing school. She quickly found sports and became the head softball coach and assistant basketball coach while attending Saginaw Valley State University in 1979. Simultaneously, she also served as intramural director and cheerleading adviser.

“At the time, there was very minimal pay, but it was a way into collegiate athletics,” Guevara said.

She graduated from SVSU in 1982 with a degree in physical therapy before leaving for Ohio State University in 1984.

There, she was a part of the Ohio State women’s basketball coaching staff as a graduate assistant under current Stanford head coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame honoree Tara VanDerveer.

“I did all the grunt work as a grad,” Guevara said. “I thought I knew how to work hard until I got there.”

That season, the Buckeyes won a Big Ten Conference championship and reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, going 28-3 and a perfect 18-0 in the Big Ten.

“I was in a very good situation at Ohio State,” Guevara said. “It was one of the best years of my life.”

After Ohio State

Upon graduating from Ohio State in 1985 with a master’s degree in athletic administration, Guevara took an assistant coaching position for the 1985-86 season at Ball State University. It was in Muncie, Ind., where she began the process of developing relationships with potential recruits.

“We would play Saturday, I packed on Sunday, spent Monday and Tuesday on the road recruiting,” Guevara said, “coach another game on Wednesday and go back on the road Thursday and Friday. It’s all about work ethic.”

The work paid off as she was named assistant coach at Michigan State University the next year under Karen Langeland and remained in East Lansing for 10 seasons, including being promoted to associate head coach for the 1995-96 season.

“I went there because she was one of the best teachers of fundamentals,” Guevara said.

Guevara amassed a record of 149-131 while at MSU.

Meanwhile, about an hour away, in-state rival Michigan’s women’s basketball program was floundering. Coach Trish Roberts was let go following the 1995-96 season after posting a .185 winning percentage (20-88 overall, 5-63 in the Big Ten Conference) in four seasons, leaving an opening at the position.

Despite only being an interim job, Guevara accepted it as an opportunity to be head coach.

“I took a big, fat risk going to Michigan because I only had six months,” she said.

In her first year in Ann Arbor, she posted a 15-11 overall record (7-9 in the conference), the program’s first winning season since 1989-90. The success continued in her second year when she was named Big Ten Coach of the Year after taking the Wolverines to the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2001 and made NIT appearances in 1999 and 2002.

Things, however, were not as promising toward the end of her time in Ann Arbor.

Internal team issues, changes in coaching staff and a lack of support from the administration factored into her decision to leave Michigan following the 2002-03 season.

In 2001, assistant coach Yvette Harris filed a lawsuit against Guevara and the University of Michigan, alleging she was fired because of her age and race.

Guevara announced her resignation as head coach on March 24, 2003, citing unsuccessful Big Ten seasons and a need for a change in the program. She currently holds the school record for wins (123) and winning percentage (.600).

“It was a great experience, something I will always be grateful for,” she said.

After contemplating her future in coaching, she accepted an assistant coaching position at Auburn under Nell Fortner.

“I wanted to coach basketball,” Guevara said. “Leaving Michigan was really hard on me.”

Back to Michigan

After the 2006-07 season, CMU women’s basketball coach Eileen Kleinfelter was fired after five losing seasons. Guevara was named CMU head coach on April 18, 2007, returning to her home state.

“I watched this program from afar while I was at SVSU, MSU, Michigan and Auburn, and I believe in the possibility in the program,” Guevara said.

Since arriving in Mount Pleasant, she has gone 6-23 and 18-14 in two seasons – one of the best turnarounds in program history.

And Guevara intends on continuing the success with strong recruiting. She recently signed three recruits for the 2010 class and has three verbal commitments, including a top-15 player from Inkster, Mich., for the 2011 class.

“It’s not just about basketball,” Guevara said. “I want to know players, not just about basketball, but the student.”

Her ultimate goal is to bring respectability and championships back to CMU.

“I love it here; I love the people and I love the community,” Guevara said. “Central has all the pieces to be a top contender.”

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