The calendar read Sept. 28, but Steve Pikiell walked onto the Rutgers Athletic Center court Friday and smiled.
"This feels like Christmas morning,'' the Rutgers men's basketball coach said.
Rutgers held its first practice heading into the 2018-19 campaign, running through drills to start a six-week preseason.
Fresh off a 15-19 campaign that concluded with a surprising run to the Big Ten quarterfinals, Rutgers returns seven scholarship players and welcomes a four-recruit signing class that includes multiple four-star prospects for the first time in a decade.
"I think we're going to be different, and hopefully different in a good way,'' Pikiell said.