After 37 years as head coach of men’s basketball at San Jose City College, Percy Carr is one game away from breaking a California community college record in basketball by achieving 800 wins.

“We thought we were going to complete it last year, which created a problem because of the injuries we had,” Carr said. “There has been some ups and downs, but out of those 30-plus years, we have only had three losing seasons.”

Last year being one of those losing seasons, injuries hindered the Jaguars’ success and left Carr looking upon a tired bench in the closing minutes of games. Jaguars men’s basketball, also known as Speed City, finished last season 11-14 overall.

“We are faster this year, and we are playing more as a team than last (year),” sophomore point guard Muktar Abdi said.

Abdi was not able to play the last three weeks last season, but still managed to contribute 199 points, 15 assists and 15 steals.

“I really like the new group of players because they seem to be a little more experienced in their knowledge of basketball and the style we are going to play,” Carr said.

The possibility of making history continues to motivate Speed City to work harder, Carr said.

“Oh, the team is ready. We’re all excited and it’s giving us something to look forward to right away,” Carr said.

Stephan Hester, also a sophomore point guard for Speed City, says he enjoys being a part of the overall improvement of the teams’ game.

“I want to do my part and just help the team win this year,” Hester said.

To add to the fire of motivation, Speed City has the potential to win game 800 in front of a Jaguars crowd during the SJCC Tip-Off tournament in November, and the fans in the stands are a major element of Speed City’s game, Hester said.

“I feel the crowd is a very big part of our game because it gives us momentum, especially when we’re at home.  We need that. It gets our adrenaline going,” Hester said.

The students at SJCC should also be excited because this involves every student at SJCC, not just the basketball team, Carr said.

“We would like to have everybody there because it is San Jose City College, and the basketball team represents SJCC,” Carr said.

The potential winning game will take place during the first game of the SJCC Tip-Off Tournament, which begins Friday, Nov. 9 and ends Sunday, Nov. 11.