Former Michigan State standout Kristin Haynie has joined coach Sue Guevara’s Central Michigan women’s basketball staff.

Haynie was a four-year starting guard at MSU, leading the Spartans to the NCAA championship game in 2005. She played with three WNBA teams from 2005-10 and also played professionally in Italy, Lithuania, Russia and Greece.

Haynie, a native of Mason, Mich., spent the past two years as an assistant at Eastern Michigan.

"I’m ecstatic that we have her," said Guevara, who is entering her eighth year in charge of a Chippewa program that has registered at least 20 wins in each of the past four seasons. "She has a tremendous passion for the game, and for guard play. She’s legitimate. She’s been on the floor at the Final Four and we’ve got some kids who will have an opportunity to pick a person’s brain who’s been there."

At Eastern, Haynie worked with a pair of standout guards in Janay Morton and Cha Sweeney. Sweeney earned the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Award in 2014.

"She knows the league and I thought she did a great job of developing the two young guards at Eastern," said Guevara, who recruited Haynie when Guevara coached at Michigan and Haynie was coming out of Mason High School in 2001. "I know what she’s capable of. She’s legitimate. I’ve known this kid since she was 15 years old and watched her mature and develop into one of the best players in the Big Ten and watched her play (professionally) for some outstanding coaches."

Haynie played in high school with current CMU assistant Heather Oesterle, who played for Guevara at UM. Haynie joins a staff that includes assistant Raina Harmon, a former Chippewa, and Director of Basketball Operations Phil Wendland, a UM grad.

"I’m really excited for our staff and for our program," Guevara said. "If you look at our staff, we’re all Michiganders and my staff knows what it takes because they’ve all done it. I think it’s going to help us tremendously in recruiting."

Haynie is taking a position with a team that should be among the front-runners in the MAC. The Chippewas return four starters, including league Player of the Year Crystal Bradford, who is recovering from a knee injury she suffered late in the 2013-14 season. "Sue has done a really good job with the program here and I’m just excited to learn from her and grow," Haynie said. "I’ve known Sue since she recruited me when she was at Michigan and I’ve heard nothing but good things about her since.

"Obviously it’s a bonus that we have potentially such a great team here and I’m really, really excited to start working with the guards, especially Jess Green. She’s a senior and we’ve got a very good corps of seniors and we’d like to send them out with a championship. I think we have a really good chance of doing that."

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