The Central Michigan women’s basketball team often has gone as far as its 6-foot-1 senior forward has taken it. But in Wednesday’s 90-69 Mid-American Conference quarterfinal win against Buffalo, the Saginaw native did her work outside the spotlight.

It’s not the norm for the player that came into the game with 18 double-doubles.

CMU senior forward Kaihla Szunko attempts a layup against Buffalo forward Kourtney Brown during the first half of Wednesday's MAC tournament quarterfinal game at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Szunko finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. (Andrew Kuhn/Staff Photographer)

It started with foul trouble in the first half, as Szunko grabbed two quick fouls 36 seconds apart with 12:02 remaining.

Szunko spent nearly the entire remainder of the half on the bench, watching fellow senior Shonda Long and MAC Freshman of the year Niki DiGuilio dig CMU out of an early hole with a combined seven first-half 3-pointers.

“I was really happy going into halftime with that lead without (her),” said CMU coach Sue Guevara, whose team advances to the MAC semifinals Friday against Bowling Green.

And while CMU expanded on its 47-31 halftime lead, it went about it the way it wanted to from the start: Using Szunko to establish it’s inside presence.

Szunko had just two points and four rebounds in the first half. When it was all over, she quietly compiled 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Make that 19 double-doubles.

It was not as glamorous as Long’s career-high 40 points and seven 3-pointers, which tied a MAC tournament record. And it could have all went down differently.

Szunko nabbed her second foul with the Chippewas trailing 14-8. Things could have turned for the worse without their star.

“Going out with two fouls early in the first half, usually I let that get to my head,” Szunko said. “But this is one and done. So, I’m thinking, people are going to step up, play the role and, when I came back in the second half, I knew it was my time to get things going.”

And she did, but her defensive job on MAC Player of the Year Kourtney Brown should not be overlooked, either.

Brown still finished with 24 points — she averaged 22.1 — but Szunko made it clear that was the plan all along.

“We knew she was probably going to get her average, but we didn’t want her to get above her average,” Szunko said.

Baker nears triple-double

Sophomore guard Brandie Baker goes up for a rebound against Buffalo forward Bridgette Kendricks Wednesday. Baker had six points and nine assists to help her to team to a 90-69 victory. (Erica Kearns/Staff Photographer)

Szunko wasn’t the only CMU player doing unheralded work against the Bulls.

Sophomore guard Brandie Baker neared a triple-double, finishing with six points, nine assists and 10 rebounds.

She collected six assists in the first half, mainly kicking it out to Long and DiGuilio. In the second half, she drove to the basket more and, more often than not, found Szunko open underneath the basket.

Baker did her work from everywhere on the court. It’s what Guevara loves about her physical 6-0 guard.

“Brandie is one of those — she’s a very special player,” Guevara said. “You saw today. She ran at (point guard). She ran at the perimeter, and she ran at (power forward) for us. She’s a nightmare as far as a matchup.

“Between Szunko and Brandie, I thought they did a really nice job of controlling the boards.”

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Nevermind any academic or personal conduct issues the athletic department has dealt with recently. Ten freshmen football players gave two hours of their time Monday to help build a restricted view swing-gate steel fence and clean up an area in the back of the Habitat For Humanity Restore on Pickard Road.

Assistant Director of Athletics and Academic Services Tera Albrecht said the players are required to do a certain amount of community work to satisfy their FYE class requirements. The NCAA recently made it mandatory for athletes to take six credits in the summer if they wish to participate in summer conditioning with their team, and the FYE class is often taken by athletes in the summer.

Regardless that it is required for class, redshirt freshman quarterback A.J. Westendorp, from Holland, believes it is important to be a part of the community.

“I think it’s huge for people out in the community to see football players working,” he said. “It’s great to give back to people, especially those that need housing. I’m blessed to have free housing at Central.”

Westendorp said he’s volunteered to work with the Habitat For Humanity more than the required amount.

“To whom much is given, much is expected,” he said. “It’s serving, and that’s a lot more important than serving yourself.”

Rodriguez, who resides in Miami, Fla., has also volunteered his time more than the required amount.

“It’s always good to give back to the community,” he said.

Rodriguez said the family atmosphere that brought him to CMU goes outside of just the football team.

“(The community) supports us really well here,” he said. “That’s why I came here. The family atmosphere here is just phenomenal.”

Dan Peterson, supervisor at the Habitat For Humanity Restore, said he appreciates all the help the players give him.

“It saves us hundreds of hours. They work their ass off,” he said.

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Volleyball player Whitney Evers has signed a contract with KBS Volley out of the Nationilliga League A in Dudingen, Switzerland. Basketball player Angel Chan signed a contract with Arxil Ponteverdra of the LF2 League in Ponteverdra, Spain.

Erik Olson, CMU’s volleyball coach, said Evers versatility will translate to the next level.

“We know that Whitney is best positioned as the middle blocker position,” he said. “(But when) you have injuries or, as things go down the road and you get a little bit thin at certain positions, that’s certainly going to help her team, as it did for us.”

Evers said playing various positions at CMU helped make her marketable to teams overseas.

Evers is currently eighth in school history with 1,204 kills and fourth in school history with 132 aces.

She leaves for Switzerland sometime this month, where the team will give her an apartment to live in.

“Knowing that I’m the only American on the team is a little bit nerve-racking,” Evers said. “My biggest concern in the language barrier, but I’m going to enjoy traveling.”

Evers officially tried out for KBS Volley in January.

Olsen said replacing Evers will be difficult, but it is a reality in collegiate athletics.

“It’s an ever-going process of developing talent,” he said. “Every program loses a great athlete every year. It’s part of the process.”

Chan heads to Spain

After only starting 19 of 29 games as a junior, Chan started every game as a senior and saw her point production increase by nearly three points per game.

She also made a school record 92 3-pointers and later participated in the State Farm National Three-Point Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Chan will start practices with Arxil Ponteverdra on Sept. 1.

“I’m a big family person, so the distance will be tough, but I have a lot of support,” she said in the CMU athletics Web site.

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Motor City Bowl CEO George Perles said the game has proposed a sponsorship deal to Little Caesars.

“We’re making a proposal to them,” he said. “That’s as far as that goes.”

WWJ News Radio 950 in Detroit reported the proposed name for the bowl game would be changed to the Little Caesars Pizza Pizza Bowl, but Perles could not confirm.

The bowl game’s executive director, Ken Hoffman, a presentation would be made for Little Caesars’ board of directors next week, and a decision would be made within 30 days.

Hoffman also said any name considerations would not happen until a sponsorship is finalized.

The Michigan Regional Carpenters and Millwright’s Union replaced Chrysler as a main sponsor earlier this year. The move was supposed to be long-term, but Perles said Little Caesars could possibly be the sole sponsor if they accepted the proposal.

Ford Motor Company has yet to drop its sponsorship, and they may stay with the game even if Little Caesars accepts the proposal.

In January, General Motors spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato said via e-mail to Central Michigan Life there was a possibility the company would drop sponsorship.

“We continually review our various sponsorships, local and national, to ensure they deliver the best return on investment and are aligned with our business objectives,” she said. “Since the event is not until December, we have not made a final decision regarding our involvment.”

Hoffman told the Free Press the game could also be played without a sponsor, though he said that was unlikely.

The game will be played at 1 p.m. Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. Central Michigan has been invited to the Motor City Bowl the last three years, but lost the previous two games to Purdue in 2007 and Florida Atlantic in 2008. CMU beat Middle Tennessee State in 2006. In 2006 and 2007, CMU garnered a berth to the bowl after winning the MAC Championship.

The Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.

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The preseason poll, which saw nearly 70 percent (18 of 26) of voters pick the Chippewas, was released at the conference’s media day Friday at Ford Field in Detroit.

Western Michigan received four votes, followed by Buffalo and Temple, who garnered two votes each.

Head coach Butch Jones said there was value in last year’s late-season collapse that saw the team lose the last three games on its schedule, including the Motor City Bowl against Florida Atlantic. Jones mentioned the injuries sustained by senior quarterback Dan LeFevour along with the flu virus that passed through the team prior to the bowl game.

“What we took from last year was perseverance,” he said. “I’m very proud of our football team and what we accomplished last year. There’s so many things that we did persevere (through) that the general public doesn’t know.”

LeFevour and senior defensive end Frank Zombo accompanied Jones at the conference event.

LeFevour said he is happy to wipe the slate clean after an injury-plagued 2008 season.

“It’s just good to have a fresh start and have everything that happened last year behind me,” LeFevour said.

CMU was heavy favorites in the MAC West, followed by WMU, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.

Buffalo, who won the MAC last season after upsetting No. 12 Ball State, was picked to win the MAC East again. Temple, Akron, Ohio, Bowling Green, Kent State and Miami followed.

LeFevour was put on a number of preseason award watch lists, including Lindy’s MAC Most Valuable Player and the Sporting News’s Best Running QB.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown, Zombo, linebacker Nick Bellore and corner back Josh Gordy were also put on various watch lists.

The MAC had five new head coaches that were showcased at the media day. Former Louisville and Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English takes over at EMU, Stan Parrish was promoted from his offensive coordinator post at Ball State, former Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson takes over at Bowling Green, former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood takes the job at Miami and former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman is now in charge at Toledo.

Allison forced to leave program

Defensive lineman Josh Allison’s career has been cut short because of an unspecified injury, Jones said.

“There isn’t a kid that loves football more than him,” he said, ” so it’s been a very trying time.”

The Chippewas return Zombo, an All-MAC selection, junior Sean Murnane, senior Sam Williams and senior Larry Knight along the defensive line.

Past that, Jones said the key will be to develop depth and have younger players step up and contribute.

“Our defensive line, we’re probably going to (need) one or two freshman to be able to step up and give us some reps there,” he said.

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But the jersey and apparel deal with Adidas – which is actually for all sports – made the necessary steps toward creating an identity to match the improving product that has been put on the field in recent years.

Michigan, USC, Penn State and Alabama have some of the best jerseys in all of sports. Each uniform is based on simplicity with no more than two primary colors to go with white.

Last year and in previous seasons, the New Balance branded attire the football team wore at Kelly/Shorts Stadium featured a maroon-based jersey that went straight into maroon pants. The numbers were white, and any trim on the sleeves or around the neck, along with the Flying C logo, was vegas gold.

The vegas gold was also the primary color in the third jersey that was introduced at the home game against Ball State that essentially decided the MAC West.

And that is where the problem lies. The teams – both collegiate and professional – that have the best jerseys do not need a third uniform. Frankly, they do not want a third uniform, because it would take a stab at the reputation of their more traditional uniforms.

In the professional ranks, the New York Yankees, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Cowboys are a few examples of simplistic jerseys that do the trick. And most of those teams, along with the collegiate teams previously mentioned, have had the same jersey since their existence.

But CMU took a giant step in the right direction with a more traditional-looking jersey.

Maroon is still the prominent color on the jersey, but the numbers were changed to a much bolder font and are gold. Not vegas gold either. Instead, the athletics deparment changed the gold color on every part of the jersey to more of a yellow gold, similar to the colors at Minnesota.

The numbers on the sleeves are also gold, but were lowered from atop the shoulder, to near the trim of the sleeve.

And now, the gold trim running down the jersey goes all the way to the pants, instead of ending near the chest.

Best of all, the pants were changed to gold, and that really emphasizes the importance of both school colors. Head coach Butch Jones has made mention to the “maroon and gold” from time to time, but by looking at least year’s uniforms, it was clear gold was just an accent color.

Now, both colors are an essential part of the the uniform and the identity of the team.

The road uniforms (and pants) have yet to be released to the public. Obviously the jersey will be white, but the numbers and pants will be the key. In this case, it may be appropriate to use maroon more than gold, since white and gold are both lighter colors.

But regardless of what they do, it is clear the program has taken note of the better uniforms in sports.

Use both of your main colors and in most cases, stick with bold lettering. Futuristic design is not the answer.

Simplicity is the key.

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WTVR-6 out of Richmond reported on July 21 that Virginia Tech was shuffling its schedule after Syracuse asked out of its contract to play games in 2010 and 2011. It said the Hokies would play Boise State, not CMU, to open the season, and the game would be played at FedExField – home of the Washington Redskins – in Landover, Md.

“Nobody’s notified me from Virginia Tech about any changes at all,” said CMU Athletics Director Dave Heeke. “We have a contract to play on opening weekend. (A change in schedule) would be news to me.”

ESPN’s Heather Dinich later speculated on her Atlantic Coast Conference blog the Virginia Tech-Boise State game could be played on Oct. 2, and since then it has been confirmed. CMU remains scheduled to play the Hokies on Sept. 4 in Blacksburg, Va.

Besides Virginia Tech, CMU will host Indiana in 2010 as part of the home-and-home contract that had CMU travel to Indiana last season. CMU is also home against Winston-Salem State and will play on the road against Navy.

The Chippewas agreed with Virginia Tech on the contract more seven years ago, Heeke said, and CMU will receive a $525,000 payout to play.

The Hokies will pay Boise State $1.25 million for its Oct. 2 game.

Virginia Tech is 100-30 in the last ten years, winning the ACC in the last two years and three out of the last five years upon joining the conference in 2004. During ACC media week, 69 of 87 voters picked the Hokies to win the conference again in 2009.

Depth a concern in secondary

The defense lost two contributors in the secondary this month. Senior Chaz West is no longer part of the program and junior Taylor Bradley is academically ineligible this season. West is also academically ineligible, but he has no years of eligibility remaining.

“Obviously (West) didn’t meet up to the expectations academically,” Head coach Butch Jones said.

West started 13 games at cornerback in 2007 and had three interceptions. He was injured and missed the entire 2008 season.

Bradley made the transition from wide receiver to cornerback last season and made his first start against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 28, recording his first interception. Bradley also had four kick returns for 54 yards.

Jones said starters will not be announced until a week prior to the Arizona game to open the season Sept. 5.

“(Defensive back is) going to be one of our positions that will be backed by fierce competition throughout camp,” he said.

Jones said last year, with just two games where all four starters in the secondary were the same, continuity did not exist.

Seniors Josh Gordy and Kirkston Edwards, true freshmen Evan Ray and D.J. Scott, sophomore LaVarus Williams and senior Tommy Mama were players Jones said could factor into the starting cornerback conversation.

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