No two things are the same, ever. This won’t prevent the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams from achieving success this season.

Both teams have new dynamics to deal with; the men have lost the juggernaut scorer in Jamar Smith, and the women have 10 returners but compete in arguably the toughest conference in the country.

The men benefit from having arguably the best point guard in the country in Kevin Gant, said head coach Rodney Watson.

This is accompanied by a common interest which newcomer Isaac McClure notes is a positive environment that exists around the men’s team.

“They are the same as me,” he said. “All we do is love to play basketball.”

The main ingredient for the women’s success is one basic principle, come to play hard.

“We need to work hard all the time,” said head coach Rick Stein. “We can’t take a day off.”

One underlying theme holds true for both teams; the fans are crucial.

“The home support is really big. Many people come to support us,” said senior Mohamed Ntumba, “It’s definitely helpful. The fans are like the 6th man. We appreciate that.”

Then, men will try to improve on a 24-3 overall record and a 15-1 home record.

The women have high standards as well. 22-9 overall as well as 15-1 at home is a tough order to fill espcially, with a tough conference like the Great Lakes Valley.