Arc Angel
Patrick SillerEarning a coach's trust is crucial for any player. But a sure way to earn women's basketball coach Sue Guevara's trust is to perform well under pressure.
And that is what senior guard Angel Chan does by hitting clutch 3-point shots.
"Anytime you have a player who shoots the three as consistently as she does, you spread the defense out more," Guevara said. "She has really embraced her role more which is just to catch and shoot."
Before the season started, Guevara met with Chan and gave her the freedom to pick her shots. That is where her "catch and shoot" game began.
"Coach (Guevara) told me that I had the green light to shoot whenever I am open or I could drive," she said. "She just gave me the freedom to make smart decisions."
As a result of this meeting, Chan was allowed to excel with her shooting. Her knack for being in the right place at the right time and stepping up when the team needs her has earned the trust of her teammates and coaches.
"Saturday was the first game where I did not tell her that if she did not shoot the ball she was coming out," Guevara said. "That's how much I want her to shoot the basketball. She has really embraced that role and it is nice to see her be consistent game to game."
In CMU's last game against Western Michigan, Chan went 7-for-9 from the 3-point line en route to a career-high 33 points. Her seven 3-pointers tied for the second most in school history in a game. The performance also earned her Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors.
Chan ranks second in the Mid-American Conference with 47 made 3-pointers and ranks ninth in the conference in points per game, with 14.5. Guevara thinks it is important to not get caught up in statistics, something Chan tries to do.
"I don't pay attention to those things, I just play my game," Chan said. "I don't even like having that little scoreboard up there that shows my points in the game."
Chan ranks 15th in the league with 3-point percentage, hitting 36 percent of her attempts. Chan's .364 3-point average ranks her second among Chippewas who have taken at least 50 attempts.
Guevara loves how tough Chan is and highly admires Chan's thick skin. She thinks it is important that she knows her role and that she does not get discouraged easily by the first sign of failure.
"When she stops shooting, it is because maybe she has missed a few," Guevara said. "A slugger doesn't stop swinging the bat do they; no. I tell her you have got to keep shooting the basketball. I have all the confidence in the world in her."
Guevara thinks Chan made significant progress in the off-season.
"I talked, earlier in the season, about the commitment that these two seniors made in the summer," Guevara said. "And now we are seeing some of the benefits of the hard work and improvement from the off-season. She has become more vocal as time goes on and you can see the passion that she has for the game."
Chan, along with fellow guard Latisha Luckett, are the only two seniors on this season's team.
Chan has been involved in basketball since elementary school and has been told that her 3-point shot was always been accurate. However, it was not until after her sophomore season that she started to agree.
"Everyone thinks that my shot has been pretty accurate in the past, but I think that my shot has really developed in the last two years," Chan said. "I always practice it and I think that is where improvement has come from."
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