Basketball coach Andrew Jones can relate to the players he mentors and coaches at Sacramento City College.

He was much like them.

As an energized-if-not-great player for the Panthers in the 1980s, Jones was able to defend, was willing to hustle and eager to shoot. And he was more curious about social life in the quad than studying in the library.

But Jones graduated from Sac City, then from Cal and earned a master's degree. He's now in his 20th season on the Panthers' sideline, his 12th as head coach.

Jones recently won his 200th career game – "It means I'm old and I've been around a long time," he cracked – and he's eager for more. The results this season are encouraging, with Sac City off to a 10-1 start, the program's best since going 11-0 to open the 1953-54 season. The Panthers open Big 8 Conference play tonight at Santa Rosa.

How do we know all this? Because Jones doesn't just research and study the Panthers' past, he embraces it.

For example, that 1953-54 team, coached by Ned Kay, was nicknamed "The Iron Men" because the starting five received the bulk of the minutes. It was Kay's last season – his first was 1940-41 – and his 242 wins are a school record.

The Panthers were big news back then. Kay's best team, "The Race Horse Boys" of 1945-46, were 32-3 and featured several World War II veterans. Four starters – John Stanich, Doug Sale, Eldon Bennett and Wayne Boulding – went on to play at UCLA.

The current Panthers could be called the "Hustle Crew." They're an undersized yet tireless bunch that shares the ball. The only holdover from last season is forward Xavier Williford of Stockton, who is averaging 7.4 points. The Panthers have had nine different starting lineups with eight players scoring double figures at least twice.

Forward Antwoine Davis, a 2008 Burbank graduate who leads the Panthers in scoring with a 17.5 average, spent a year at Sacramento State and some time in the Army and is still in the National Guard.

"The military really matured me, and I needed that," Davis said. "I missed basketball. I needed it again."

He's not alone.

Forward Brandon McDowell of Laguna Creek, who leads the team with nine rebounds per game, is back for a second stint. McDowell played at Sac City in 2006-07 but left school to work and tend to his family. Forward Zach Bartley of Rosemont, also back at Sac City after taking a year off, is averaging 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds. Point guard D.J. McGee, who graduated from Kennedy in 2008, is averaging 8.5 points.

Notice what these players have in common?

There is no age limit for community college athletics, as long as a player hasn't exhausted his eligibility.

"A lot of guys, they love basketball, and then they figure out that they like education and learning, and this can be a safety net, another chance," Jones said.

With Jones as their coach and historical guide, these Panthers hope to create their own legacy.

Sac City is the last regional men's team to win a state championship, in 1986, led by guard Kenny Drummond, who went on to play for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State.

American River reached the state final in 2004 under coach Mark Giorgi, whose team plays at Sac City on Friday.

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