"1999 Final Four."
The words race across Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara's computer monitor - a screen-saver with attitude.
"That is definitely a goal for us at Michigan," the second-year coach said proudly, glancing at the hefty prognostication behind her. "Right now, things are only going to get better."
Such talk would have seemed ridiculous a year ago, as the former Michigan State assistant stood poised to take over a Michigan program that had finished above .500 just once since the 1981-82 season.
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| KEVIN KRUPITZER/Daily Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara paces the sidelines in the Wolverines' 93-81 victory over Illinois State last Tuesday. Guevara has set lofty goals for the Wolverines - she hopes to make the Final Four by 1999. |
Now, as Guevara sits in her spacious corner office in Weidenbach Hall, it appears as if the optimism surrounding the program is justified.
Michigan is off to a 4-1 start, one that rivals last year's record-breaking 11-3 beginning. The Wolverines, picked to finish fourth in the conference by The Sporting News, are riding high on the promise of a very bright future.
Not bad for a group of players that has yet to win a Big Ten tournament game.
Michigan owes this resurgence in large part to Guevara's fast-paced coaching style, an approach borrowed from Michigan State coach Karen Langeland, under whom Guevara served from 1987-96.
During this time, the Wolverines were a doormat for the Spartans, winning just four of 21 meetings.
When Guevara was offered the interim position at Michigan in 1996, she was undeterred by the Wolverines' previous mediocrity, an outlook representative of her unceasingly positive demeanor.
"I knew there was talent on the team," Guevara said of her attitude upon replacing beleagured coach Trish Roberts. "There were shooters and a strong inside game, and I knew the Ws would come."
Although Guevara and the Wolverines lost to the Spartans in their only meeting of the 1996 season, Michigan avenged the loss, beating the defending Big Ten champions last weekend in the championship game of the Felpausch tournament.
Guevara has worked hard to elevate the program to where it is today. For the majority of last season, she was branded an interim coach, a label that limited her freedom, especially in her ability to recruit.
"We lost some kids because I was an interim," Guevara recalled. "They really loved Michigan, they liked me and they liked my coaching staff, but they were afraid that we weren't going to be there.
"I had to tell them that the University of Michigan has so much to offer you academically and, if I'm not coaching you, someone better than me is going to."
In hindsight, it would be very difficult to find someone better than Guevara at what she does.
From the time she assumed the position of interim coach, Guevara began developing a bond with her team.
"I'm a communicator," Guevara says of her coaching style. "I love my kids and I like to let my kids know when I'm happy with them and when I'm not."
Because of this straightforward attitude, the team and Guevara began to gel, even though the coach's future was mired in uncertainty.
Thus, by the time Guevara became Michigan's permanent coach, cohesiveness between her and the team was not a concern.
"My approach was: I am the coach, and that's not going to change," Guevara said. "Being named head coach didn't change our relationship, because we never approached it like I was an interim."
Indeed, Guevara views team unity as essential to a successful season. Requiring that players alternate roommates every road trip, Guevara consults her troops on many decisions regarding the program.
When a recruit makes a visit to Michigan, Guevara quickly introduces the newcomer to the team. After all, Guevara explains, "they're the ones who will be spending the most time together.
"The recruits won't be going to the bowling alley or out to lunch with me, they'll be going with their teammates."
Much like Guevara's Final Four objective, which continually races across the computer screen in her office, the coach is constantly in motion. Arriving at 8:30 every morning, Guevara often stays late into the night, especially when she needs to perform recruiting duties.
Guevara's commitment is paying immediate dividends. In her first season, Michigan set numerous attendance records, a testament to the fact that Guevara's up-tempo style is breathing new life into the program.
"People have been waiting for this program to come out of hibernation for a long time," Guevara said. "Everything is in place, I just need to do my job, and that's the fun part.
"I can't think of anything else in my life that I'd rather do than coach here," Guevara said. With that, the coach flashed a smile and rushed off to practice, moving even faster than the large red letters flashing on the screen behind her.
12-01-97
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