2000-01 record: 27-5; 13-3 in Big East (1st) Final Ranking: No. 11 ESPN/USA Today; No. 7 AP Postseason: Lost to USC 74-71 in second round of NCAA Tournament RETURNING LEADERS Points: Kent 9.8 ppg | Rebounds: Kent 9.3 rpg | Assists: Sherrod 2.8 apg | FG %: Kent 64.3% | FT %: Dabney 64.8% 00-01 Stats: Rutgers | Big East

		Monday, Oct. 29 In his first year at Rutgers, coach Gary Waters must put Rashod Kent in a position to lead. This young backcourt has little experience, yet must play in a guard-oriented league with some of the nation's best. Growth will be the yardstick for this team, not overall won-lost record.

Outlook
Wouldn't this team like to have 6-foot-5 scorer Dahntay Jones right about now? Jones would be a senior bearing down on the 2,000-point mark for his career had he not transferred after the 1999-2000 season to Duke, where he becomes eligible this season after being the leading scorer during a U.S. national team tryout camp.

But Jones is gone, and Gary Waters is here after impressive results with Kent State.

Winning at Rutgers might even be more impressive for Waters, given the caliber of competition the Knights face. Then again, he could get off to a better start than some might expect, given the Knights' blend of returning talent and newcomers.

Sophomore Herve Lamizana (6-foot-10), one of the better high school players in the country two years ago, is eligible this season and should be on most fans' All-Rookie radar. Rashod Kent is back after averaging 9.8 points and 9.3 rebounds last season. Both centers (Kareem Wright and Eugene Dabney) return after combining to average 12 points and 8.2 rebounds.

The questions are biggest at guard, though high-scoring junior college transfer Jerome Coleman ought to provide some answers. The 6-2 Coleman scored 1,232 points in seasons and was a second-team JUCO All-American last year. Mike Sherrod, a 6-2 point guard, ought to be better after averaging a decent 7.2 points as a freshman.

Most of all, Waters will have to infuse his new team with the defensive tenacity of his old one. Rutgers allowed foes to shoot 44.6 percent from the field last season, 13th in the Big East.

What we like: Lamizana and Coleman are major talents, and Kent, Wright and Dabney are huge. Waters doesn't exactly look into an empty cupboard with this group.

What we don't like: Experience in the backcourt isn't a fatal flaw, but it can hurt, and this team has little Division I experience at the smallest three positions on the court. Also, there is a psychology of losing that must be reversed here, and that could take time.

The bottom line: The marriage of a new coach and system to a new team could go either way, but at least Rutgers seems to have the talent for that option to exist. Still, let's not go overboard here. These players were just good enough last season to put their team on the market for a new coach.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Rashod Kent	Sr.	G	6-6/265	PTS: 9.8 | REB: 9.3 | AST: 1.2
Eugene Dabney	Jr.	F	6-10/225	PTS: 7.4 | REB: 4.7 | AST: 0.8
Kareem Wright	Jr.	C	6-9/285	PTS: 4.6 | REB: 3.5 | AST: 0.4

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Jeff Greer	G	6-5/180	PTS: 14.3 | REB: 4.5 | AST: 2.5
Todd Billet	G	6-1/180	PTS: 16.6 | REB: 1.9 | AST: 4.2

Rutgers Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
Jason McCoy	F	6-9	Houston/Milby (Texas)
Ricky Shields	G	6-4	Riverdale/Hargrave Military Academy (Md.)
Juel Wiggan	G	6-3	Bronx/Notre Dame Academy (N.Y.)
Jerome Coleman	G	6-2	Brooklyn-Cecil CC (Md.)