Heather Oesterle continues program success, earn accolades in year one at helm
When Central Michigan was announced as preseason favorites to win the Mid-American Conference’s West Division, uncertainly swirled in the air.
How could a program who lost its most accomplished head coach as well as its all-time leading scorer and rebounder be selected as the top-dog in the conference?
Those who voted were aware of the tradition within the walls of McGuirk Arena, home of the Chippewas. The CMU women’s basketball team came into the season as winners of three consecutive MAC championships and though it was breaking in a new coach in Heather Oesterle, everyone who picked the Chippewas knew exactly what the team was capable of.
From the start, Oesterle didn’t disappoint, taking the keys to the program and running with them. On Tuesday, Oesterle was named the conference’s coach of the year, following in the footsteps of her mentor, who won the award each of the past two seasons.
When Sue Guevara, coach of the Chippewas for 12 seasons, retired and handed the program over to Oesterle, the long-time coach knew exactly what she was doing. Having coached Oesterle as a player while at Michigan and then working alongside her for the previous nine seasons at Central Michigan.
The players in the locker room were just as familiar with Oesterle, as were the three freshmen coming into the program. Freshman forward Shine Strickland-Gills stated that Oesterle played a large role in her recruitment while serving as an assistant and that she was pleased to hear that it was Oesterle taking over when Guevara announced her retirement.
On the court, the Chippewas would be without Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost, each of whom graduating after becoming the program and conference’s all-time scorer and rebounder, respectively. Pair that with the coaching change, and leadership roles were up for grabs everywhere.
Old faces stepped into new roles.
“Sometimes her (Oesterle) being vocal isn’t enough and she wants us to step up and I like that she gives us a chance,” junior guard Micaela Kelly said following the preseason Maroon and Gold scrimmage. “(Oesterle) wants the players to coach the team because obviously, she’s not the one playing.”
Step up, they did.
Kelly did so to the tune of a career-high 21.5 points per game, a mark that tied for first in the conference and ranked fourth in the nation. She, too, earned honors on Tuesday, being named the conference’s Player of the Year. She follows Tinara Moore and Frost as the third straight Chippewa to earn the award.
Senior forward Gabi Bird also stepped up on the court, going from averaging just 1.4 points per game in her first three seasons to becoming the conference’s Sixth Player of the Year. She scored 8.6 points and grabbed 4.9 rebounds per game in 2019-20. Her senior counterpart, MacKenna Kelly, also stepped up as a cerebral leader and averaged career-highs in points, rebounds and minutes played.
After spending their first three seasons in limited roles, Bird and Kelly were allowed to breakout in extended opportunities under Oesterle.
"I think that's the best part of the transition," Bird said. "I've had her for four years and MacKenna's had her for four years. She just makes coming to practice a lot of fun and just better. It made it easy to buy in."
"Even before we found out coach G was retiring, it was something we were getting used to," Kelly said of Oesterle's presence. "I had a meeting with her (Oesterle) the day before we found out and I was like 'This feels good.'" It's a really awesome full circle."
Central Michigan opened conference play on a 15-game win streak, a streak capped off by a second-half comeback victory over Western Michigan that clinched the conference title. The night ended with Oesterle at the top of a ladder, cowering with a smile as her players showered her with water from spray bottles.
At the beginning of the season, one would’ve been skeptical of this scene. After all, a coach with no prior head coaching experience was stepping into a program that boasted three-consecutive conference regular season titles and two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
However, the skeptics didn’t know the impact Oesterle already had on the players in her locker room. That sense of familiarity made her easy to play for, easy to rally behind and worth going to battle for.
What else can you ask for?
