by Lavi Aulck
Sports Editor

Coaches for men’s and women’s basketball are both eagerly optimistic about the upcoming season. After a disappointing season in which the men’s team finished near last place in the division and the women’s team folded after just five league games, both coaches are starting out strong with devoted athletes and foolproof game plans.

Starting the season with a full roster of talent, the women’s team is looking to avoid the causes of last year’s collapse while growing into the realistic aspirations of first-year Head Coach Derek Witt. “I think that for whatever reason, the interest wasn’t there,” recollects Witt as he diagnoses last year’s ailments. “They started with low numbers, they had a couple girls get hurt, and I think they had some grade problems that caused some other girls to be ineligible.”

Witt has focused much of his tenure at SCC towards eliminating previous troubles. “We’ve worked very hard in the weight room and the conditioning part and hopefully that will limit some of the injuries,” states Witt. “We have team mandatory study halls two nights a week for academic purposes. We’re doing grade checks on every girl.”

Witt is also keeping a realistic stance on the upcoming season. Unwilling to make any predictions, he believes that success is directly related to the effort that his team exerts. “I believe if the work that our team has put in so far translates to what happens on the floor, then we will be successful,” he explains. “We have an approach that we want to take on the girls’ team - we want to be better today than we were yesterday.”

The men’s side has also been hard at work, trying to prepare for the upcoming season. Coach Jeff Menday enters his 3rd season as SCC’s men’s coach with high expectations. “My gut feeling is that we should be towards the top (of the NWAACC North),” Menday explains. “I’m just not used to not making the playoffs.”

Recovering from a season where the team finished near the bottom of the division, Menday has taken a classroom approach to the upcoming season, holding a basketball class in addition to regular weight lifting and cardio training. “We have a basketball theory and strategy class so we’ve been teaching (the team) my philosophy on basketball.”

Understanding the importance of fan support, Menday has also focused on spreading word about the team around campus. “We have to do a better job of promoting the games this year,” Menday declares. “We need to get schedules up on campus. We’ve never had them up there so the basketball team is going to circulate those. We also need to get into the student newspaper and the ‘Day at a Glance.’”

Menday understands that the result of promoting the team will only go as far as the players will allow it. “If you build it, they will come. If we’re a good team, we’ll get people out there,” Menday foresees. “If we’re a so-so team and not very exciting, I don’t expect people to come out and watch that. But if we’re a good team, I’m hoping that people will come.”

All in all, the coaches seem ready and eager to get the season started in November and are hoping their respective teams are not only good athletes, but good ambassadors of the school as well. “Give us a chance by coming out and supporting us,” Coach Witt requests. “I think you will see a team that works very hard every single minute they’re on the floor and is also going to be a good representative of the school.”