After a hard season in football and volleyball, the San Jose City College sports fans finally get to watch the home team win with the beginning of the men’s and women’s basketball season.

Both basketball teams have indicated, so far during preseason, that they have the potential to be more successful this season than last.

So, what’s stopping them?

If you don’t count both teams’ failures to minimize turnovers, take care of the ball and shoot better than 35 percent during games, then the only thing left to stop them is themselves as individuals, the monster under the bed.

There have been new developments that could jeopardize the whole season for both squads.

Speed City (men’s basketball) was accused of stealing from the Lincoln High School football team while its equipment and personal belongings were in the locker room at SJCC during the Big Bone game against San Jose High School on Thanksgiving.

With an investigation of the men’s team under way, the team seems to be distracted, which has affected its play drastically after capitalizing at the Tip-Off Tournament in November by taking first place.

Following the accusation, Speed City has lost three games straight, and this may very well have the potential to blight its entire season. Speed City is 3-4 in preseason.

The Lady Jags (women’s basketball), on the other hand, are suffering from a small bench; this is not as serious as legal action, but distracting nonetheless and has the potential to be just as impairing to their season.

From the beginning of preseason, the team has only had three players on the bench but has still managed to govern the flow of a couple of games to swing in its favor. Still, with such a small bench, this could possibly harm them down the stretch if they get into foul trouble in the final minutes of a game or if injuries occur during the preseason.

Since their second win, the Lady Jags have also lost three games in a row because of strong second-half play by their opponents, which puts them at 2-4 in preseason.

As any good basketball player knows, good physical and mental health are essential in the game. With conference games right around the corner, both teams will need to stay above the drama of skeptics.

If you take the golden coat of basketball talent and knowledge, spot it with the energy absorbing color of successful coaching, the result will be the SJCC Jaguars’ basketball teams as champions of the Coast Conference in February.

The most important factor for Speed City’s and Lady Jags’ season success is to stay healthy and to focus on that which matters most: Winning.

Go Jags!