CSULB’s women take a page from an NBA playbook, and the men begin 2007 with a blank canvas.

If losing builds character, as the old adage goes, then both men’s and women’s basketball bring plenty to the 2007-08 season. But with hardship comes motivation, and eventually, redemption. Long Beach State has a lot to prove—that our women can consistently succeed, that our men’s success was no fluke. It all boils down to what happens on the court, but it starts with two people: the head coaches.

With one coming off of a 9-23 campaign—coach Mary Hegarty calls it “easily the most difficult year I’ve ever had, professionally”—and the other having coached In just 7 games last season before resigning—and even sparking a fan website that called for his dismissal—both Mary Hegarty and Dan Monson enter the 2007-2008 season with something to prove.

When comfortable, both are friendly and warm—Hegarty has kind eyes and a soft voice that put you at ease, while Monson never hesitates to crack jokes that are always followed with a wide smile and a belly laugh. They’re happy to discuss coaching strategy, their teams’ respective strengths and weaknesses, expectations and predictions.

But ask Hegarty about her team’s struggles last season—their overwhelming youth and inexperience, their difficulty scoring easy buckets—and she’ll transform. Her eyes focus, her words become more direct and rise from within her heart, and it becomes clear that Coach Hegarty never wants to feel the sting of 23 losses again.

“I’m anxious to redeem myself,” she says about a season in which her team shot just 36% from the field and committed 19 turnovers per game. “Not because anyone has said I have to, just because it is unacceptable. Winning is a part of this athletic program, and I certainly don’t want to let down Long Beach State.”

Entering the 2007-2008 season, Hegarty and her staff took a new approach. In an effort to utilize their athleticism to boost scoring, the coaching staff observed the Phoenix Suns practice—implementing some aspects of their high-octane style.

“They run a lot of things with ten or twelve options,” Hegarty explains. “But it’s not complicated. Last year we didn’t get any easy buckets.”

This year, the load will be lightened by the growth of the team’s youth. Seven freshmen received heavy minutes last year—mainly because there was no other option. The team is a whole year older now, and there is much more competition for playing time. Star guard Karina Figueroa—who Hegarty admits was run into the ground last season—will have plenty of help in the backcourt with the maturation of Courtney Jacob and Lauren Sims, as well as the activation of Russian gunner Valeriya Musina. Throw that group onto the court with Fig, Ally Wade and speedy one-guard Tyresha Calhoun, and the 49ers are confident that this guard-heavy rotation will yield better results than last season.

“We’re not gonna let it get back to that point again,” Fig says.

On the other hand, the men’s head coach would probably pay good money to have the same success that his squad enjoyed last year. The 49ers made an unprecedented 24-8 run that culminated with a Big West championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Coach Dan Monson can tell you all about it, because he watched it on TV.

“That’s what a coach does when he’s not coaching,” Monson says.

Monson’s journey has been one of unfulfilled promise—after planting the seed for a dynasty of success at Gonzaga and revolutionizing the way we think of mid-major basketball, he reluctantly headed to Minnesota, admittedly for the paycheck.

“They really had to talk me into the Minnesota job,” he remembers. “I’m excited to be here and I never felt that way in Minnesota. I did not take that job with the right frame of mind.”

As Monson prepares for his first season at the helm of 49er men’s basketball, his state of mind is renewed, refreshed, focused. Minnesota left him somewhat scarred—he resigned seven games into his eighth season with the Gophers, after what most consider an underachieving tenure that was mainly hampered by severe NCAA sanctions for violations that occurred before he took the job.

He’s eager to prove to the basketball world that his teams are still capable of the surprising success he enjoyed at Gonzaga. Publicly, many blamed Monson for Minnesota’s troubles, but college basketball insiders applauded his move to Long Beach State as a positive change for both the team and the coach. His sterling reputation as a teacher of the game has brought national notoriety and legitimacy to a school long removed from it.

But more importantly, it has brought Coach Monson a chance to prove that his collegiate success is only just beginning.