As we approach December, the squeak of new sneakers on freshly polished hardwood floors begins to pierce your ear. A whistle blows. A ball is tipped. Ah, the dank smell of a sweaty practice jersey. It can only mean one thing: another college basketball season is shifting into high gear.

Most teams have already completed a tournament or two by now, but December is when the real season starts. It’s when most teams start their conference schedules and begin playing their local rivals. It’s when coaches preach fundamentals. It’s when young teams find their character and young players grow into their roles, as superstars or super-subs.

The following is a brief preview of four of our local college squads, the men’s and women’s teams from Lehman and Monroe College. Let the games begin.

Monroe Women

Although last year’s team went a perfect 36-0 and won the Junior College Division III championship, coach Seth Goodman believes this team might be better in several ways.

“We’re very defense oriented, more athletic and much deeper,” Goodman says.

However, they don’t have Fantasia Goodwin, one of the best women’s junior college players of all time and a dominating force inside the paint. She moved on to Division I powerhouse Syracuse after last season.

This year’s team will rely more on speed and defense, Goodman says. “There’s different ways to win games,” he says. “This year we play better defense, but we’re scoring six or seven less points a game.”

And sparking that defense is 5-foot-8 sophomore dynamo Angela Pace, the team’s point guard who earned first-team all-region honors as a freshman last year. She was 20th in the nation in assists (4.3 per game) and eighth in steals (5 per game).

Right now, Goodman is still trying to figure out his starting lineup and rotation with all the talent he has at his disposal. Last year, the Mustangs started the same five players in every game except for injury substitutions. This year, he’s already started four different lineups in five games (all of which Monroe won).

And what about that streak? Isn’t it daunting? “The funny thing is that you think things carry over from year to year,” Goodman said. “But honestly, they don’t really think about it.”

Monroe Men

While the women’s team won the national title, the male Mustangs came tantalizingly close, winning 33 games (a school record) and finishing eighth in the national tournament. With a healthy crew of returning veterans, this year’s team is thirsty for more.

Like the Lady Mustangs, the men lost three big men to NCAA Division I programs and will rely on their talented guard play this year.

Rich Jackson, a second year player from St. Raymond’s in the Bronx, is the team’s leading returning scorer and will be relied on heavily to produce offensively. “He’s the focal point of our team,” says coach Jeff Burstad.

Jackson will be joined in the backcourt by DaShaun Williams, a versatile 6-foot-3 combo guard (he can play either guard position) from Chicago, and Jonas Ghebremeskel, a lithe 5-foot-11 sharpshooter from Sweden (the team also has players from Guinea and Senegal). Both guards will have to play bigger roles this year if Monroe wants to get back the national tournament.

Lehman College Women

Despite three losses to open the season, Lehman’s women’s basketball coach Eric Harrison believes this team is much better than last year’s team, which struggled with injuries to a 12-14 record.

“It’s the most talented team I’ve had in my nine years here,” said Harrison, the coach with the best winning percentage in school history and the longest-tenured collegiate coach in the Bronx.

With all five starters returning, Harrison says the biggest challenge will be to keep his players focused and ready to play. “You gotta keep players motivated,” he said.

The Lightning will be led up front by bruiser Sally Nnamani and in the backcourt by Kelly Santiago, who was the first female player to record a quadruple double (double-digits in points, rebounds, assists and steals) back in 2001. Santiago took a few years off, but is now back, at the age of 24, and ready to make up for lost time.

Lehman College Men

Last year’s Lehman’s men’s team finished 15-11 and reached the NCAA Division III regional tournament riding the back of dominant big man Sekani Francis, who graduated last year.

Post-Francis, this year’s team must find its own identity, says seventh year coach Steve Schulman. But he’s excited about the change in personality.

“This year’s team, we’re going to be tenacious defensively,” Schulman says, adding that he plans to play more man-to-man pressure defense after sitting back in a zone most of last season. “I prefer quickness over size.”

The Lightning will rely mostly on two talented guards, senior Rafael Bueno and sophomore sensation Duane Rhoden, a product of DeWitt Clinton. Jason Marchena will be thrust into the starting lineup, replacing last year’s point guard Willy Vargas.