With the fall season near its conclusion, winter is peeking around the corner. For sports fans around the world this means that men and women’s basketball season is ready for tip-off.

On Oct. 31, the men’s basketball team will open their season in Long Beach, Calif. where they’ll participate in the Southern California Fall Jamboree.

Roughly a week later, the women’s basketball will open their season up as well on Nov. 7. That weekend, the Mesa College Women’s Basketball will play hostess for the San Diego Mesa Tip-Off, a three-day tournament that will be held at Mesa and conclude on Nov. 9.

Men’s basketball coach Ed Helscher, with the help of football strength and conditioning coach Tom Ryan, has managed a pre-season conditioning class in attempt to prepare his players for the regular season grind. This class meets four days a week, two of which focus strictly on weight training.

For Helscher and his men, this year will focus on learning to cooperate with others while maintaining a competitive environment. Helscher emphasizes that his team must show class at all times. “For us C.L.A.S.S. means Good Citizenship, Leadership, Athletic Competition, Good Scholarship, and Good Sportsmanship,” replied Helscher.

On the women’s side, Coach Michael Hootner and his girls take a similar approach. By training hard, Hootner expects his girls to be in top shape by the season premiere.

“For eight weeks now we have worked diligently on cardio conditioning, strength training and flexibility,” commented Hootner.

Along with these various trainings, Hootner has also pitched in to help his girls understand proper eating habits in order to stay healthy and fit throughout the season.

Philosophy 101 has also had an affect on Hootner and his girls as he tries to implement different ideas and theories into their heads.

“I’m huge into building from the ground up. I want the girls to understand how the little pieces fit into the big pieces. I want them to understand how the sum of parts has to be greater than the actual parts themselves,” said Hootner.

Both the men and women’s basketball teams will participate in a Mesa sponsored event called Midnight Madness. In an event similar to those held during NBA All-Star Weekend, this event will consist of scrimmages by the men and women’s team, as well as a 3-point shootout and Slam Dunk Contest. Prizes include pizza and a possible reimbursement of book fees in the spring.

Midnight Madness will take place at Mesa College on Oct. 15 at midnight. This will feature a chance for fans to come out and see what this seasons teams are made up of, possibly even showcasing their own skills.

Practices have begun for the women’s team who hold practice from 2:30 P.M. through 4:30 P.M. For the men, official practices are set to begin on Oct. 15, following the conclusion of women’s practice, and are expected to run up until roughly 6:30 P.M.