Just Getting Started: Freshman point guard Presley Hudson has already begun to surprise
Even when his daughter was in elementary school, Mike Hudson knew Presley would be a special basketball player.
In the fourth grade, Presley Hudson played in the boy’s league with her younger brother, Avery. It was then when the Central Michigan freshman guard began to turn heads.
“She was able to hold her own and make moves against boys that were older, taller and bigger than her,” Mike said. “(To) be able to play against those kinds of kids at such an early level, it was kind of fun to watch, let alone it be your daughter.”
In just two games, Hudson has already done something no other CMU women’s basketball player has accomplished.
After averaging 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the first week of the season, Hudson became the first CMU player to be named High-Major Madness National Player of the Week, beating out players from seven other conferences including the Atlantic 10 Conference and Mountain West Conference.
The 5-foot-6 guard was also named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week.
Hudson’s ability to score at will has helped her lead the Chippewas to a 2-0 record, with the team averaging 97 points per contest.
“It’s just a lot of hard work,” Hudson said. “I expected it to be quicker. I always try to expect more, so when I come into a game it can be easier.”
What makes Hudson difficult to defend is her ability to score points in a variety of ways. Through two games, she is shooting 60 percent from the field, 47 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
“I can just feel it,” Hudson said. “When it comes off of my hand, I can just feel it going in. When it doesn’t go in I’m not very happy, but I guess every shot can’t go in.”
Finding a Gem
During the summer of Hudson’s junior year, CMU Head Coach Sue Guevara and another coach saw the Wayland native playing during an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) game. But Hudson wasn’t the player Guevara came to watch.
Hudson’s teammate, Rockford guard Logan McCain was the player Guevara was scouting, but Hudson was the player that caught her eye.
“We go to the court and I’m watching Logan play and I go, ‘That kid (McCain) can really shoot the rock, and she’s a left-hander,’ but I said, ‘Who’s the point guard?’” Guevara said. “Just watching (Hudson), I go to my staff and say, ‘Who in the hell is that kid down there?’ And they said ‘That’s Presley Hudson.’”
Guevara’s staff was concerned about Hudson’s small stature, but her lack of size didn’t matter to Guevara.
“I said, ‘You guys, we have to get on her, I really like her,’” Guevara said. “They said, ‘Well coach, what about her size?’ I go, ‘Screw her size, are you kidding me? That kid can play.’”
The more Guevara and her staff watched Hudson perform, the more their interest grew.
“I said, ‘We gotta start watching her, we gotta get in and do a home visit, I really want that kid,’” Guevara said. “And, well, we got her.”
Business as Usual
Hudson’s success throughout the first week of the season hasn’t been by accident, the sharp-shooting guard has been known to stand out.
Even before this season started, Hudson made an impact on the floor for the Chippewas. In August, CMU played three exhibition games in Toronto where Hudson averaged 21 points, as the Chippewas went 3-0.
As a senior at Wayland Union High School last season, Hudson was runner-up for Miss Basketball in Michigan, leading her team to a 23-2 record and a Class B district title.
During a game in her senior campaign, Hudson scored a school-record 40 points in a win over Mattawan. She is also the all-time leading scorer in Wayland Union girl’s basketball history.
The Family Way
It’s safe to say that basketball is a family tradition in the Hudson household. Presley’s father has been the head coach for Wayland Union’s boy’s basketball team for 23 years.
Presley’s older brother, Wes, was an NAIA All-American shooting guard at Cornerstone, leading his team to a national championship in 2010-2011.
“(My father) helped me since I was real little,” Hudson said. “He helped me get better every day through high school, and now I had to take that on my own and get better too.”
Mike said he was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter earn national attention.
“That was just something that was really nice to hear,” he said. “She’s had a great start. I didn’t know that that would be the way it would start, but we’re thankful that it did. It’s a great thing to have happen to her. She’s worked extremely hard. We’re blessed she’s able to do those things, and hopefully she can continue on.”
Seeing two of his kids play basketball at the collegiate level isn’t something Mike has taken for granted.
“It makes a dad proud that they’ve succeeded so well in taking the game that I really enjoy and playing with that much passion,” he said.
First in the gym
Guevara said there’s a good reason Hudson is on the streak she’s on, and it’s because of something most people don’t see.
“Her work ethic is why she is where she is right now,” Guevara said. “She is only going to get better because of the people that she practices with.”
Guevara said Hudson shows up for 8 a.m. practices at 6:45 a.m., which is part of the reason she’s earned a starting position.
Not only has she surprised the Chippewa fan base, Hudson has also caught opposing coaches off guard as well.
“I think the other teams are more surprised than I am,” she said. “I see that every day, so it’s just a really nice beginning for her and our team. Am I surprised? No, I’m not. But I’m happy.”
Moving Forward
With just two games under her belt, Hudson's next task is to continue her high level of play and avoid the freshman wall.
As the expectations continue to rise, Hudson acknowledged there would be pressure to live up to, but she also said she is prepared to meet it head on.
“I guess it is just a little bit,” she said about the pressure. “But I just gotta keep getting better. Last week was last week, and now it’s a new week, and I just gotta keep getting better. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be.”
