COLUMN: Standard remains high for young women's basketball team
The most celebrated player in Central Michigan University's basketball history is gone, but the women's program is not scaling expectations back.
Head Coach Sue Guevara struck gold when she landed high school standout Crystal Bradford in 2010.
Bradford led Guevara's team to a Mid-American Conference Championship her sophomore year and achieved personal records each of her three seasons in Mount Pleasant. She won a Gold Medal overseas with Team USA during the World University Games.
Now Bradford has left for the WNBA, and Guevara remains in search of the program's first NCAA Tournament win.
This season, a different approach has been installed. Success comes by committee. Younger players must work together to compensate for their collective inexperience.
Two newcomers have emerged as early leaders on this team.
Freshman Presley Hudson and sophomore Cassandra Breen are Guevara's new one-two punch.
Hudson, a ball handler, shows remarkable vision and has adjusted well to the speed of Division I competition. Breen spent most of last season perfecting her outside shot, which has helped CMU score enough points to distance itself from opponents late in games.
"I think we have a nice blend of inside and outside scoring," Guevara said. "I love this team. This is a selfless team. It's the hardest working team I've ever had."
Hard work manifested itself again in the from of a 81-60 victory over Akron on Saturday at McGuirk Arena. Breen scored 17 and Hudson added 14.
In a game so often dominated by individual performance, these Chippewas have found a way to get it done as a team. The seeds of a culture of unselfish behavior have been planted and the team's long-term identity is becoming more clear.
March is approaching. The stakes and struggle for a league title will intensify.
Guevara's team this year appears ready to head into virtually any postseason matchup with confidence. A deep run into this year's MAC Tournament would give young players like Hudson and Breen invaluable experience on the big stage.
More importantly, it would put Guevara's program one step closer to its biggest ambition: An NCAA Tournament win.
CMU is likely a year or two away from accomplishing that ultimate goal.
But some postseason success for a team with as much potential as this one would be an ideal place to start.
