It was an eventful offseason for Rutgers basketball, to say the least. There were significant gains (freshman guard Paul Mulcahy, grad-transfer forward Akwasi Yeboah) and losses (forward Eugene Omoruyi, defensive coordinator Jay Young). There was a 4-0 swing through Spain in August. There is a new practice facility with all kinds of bells and whistles.

With most of the team back after a program-record seven Big Ten victories, the Scarlet Knights seem poised to break a 14-year postseason drought. Where do things stand as full-length practices begin this week? Here is fourth-year head coach Steve Pikiell's assessment.

What’s your biggest takeaway from Spain?

“The biggest takeaway for me is we can really score and we had four different leading scores in the games, so we can pass the ball. We are not very good defensively. As we’re recruiting kids who can score more, we can’t lose our identity, which is defense and rebounding.”

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“My big emphasis: I never want the mentality that we’re going to just outscore the other team. That not where I want to be. But we’ve got a lot of different guys who can score. In the past we were limited there. We have a lot of positionless guys, so we can move them around and do different things than we did in the past.”

Who is taking the leadership reins?

“Geo (Baker) and Shaq (Carter) have really done a good job in those areas. In time Akwasi (Yeboah) will, once he’s been here a bit longer. Ron Harper is good leader too out of that sophomore class.”

“Shaq is a natural leader, probably our most vocal guy. He’s respected and well-liked by all the guys. Geo has been here the longest, and now he just has to be more verbal. There has to be a consistency to his game and his leadership that he didn’t have as a sophomore.”

Who is the most improved returning guy?

“By far, Shaq Carter. I think he’s really good. (Last season) the adjustment hit him from junior college. He also didn’t have much of an opportunity last year with Shaq Doorson and Gene (Omoruyi) here.”

What is Ron Harper’s ceiling?

“I don’t think there is a ceiling. His athleticism is off the charts. He has point guard skills and can play multiple positions. He’s really worked at it and I’m proud of his development.”

“The whole sophomore class, they’ve lived through it now. When they came in last summer, they thought they were ready. Now they realize, ‘I needed a good summer; I wasn’t in shape.’ You really hope they take a jump going into their sophomore year, and I think they have a chance to do that.”

In one of the national preview magazines you said sophomore center Myles Johnson is the most important player on the team. Could you elaborate?

“He does a little bit of everything for our team. With his growth basketball-wise, he’ll play (major) minutes, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a terrific passer and can score around the basket. I think he could be one of the best big guys (in the Big Ten). He’s got a 7-foot-11 wingspan. Now we have to keep him out of foul trouble so we can get him more minutes.”

What do your three newcomers (Mulcahy, Yeboah and Texas transfer Jacob Young) bring to the table?

“All three of them give us something we haven’t had.”

“Paul is tough and a winner. He’s already starting to have a knack for personnel. It’s important to have a guy who, when he drives, he knows Myles is open in the post and knows the importance of getting him the basketball. He plays with an edge, too.”

“Jacob is the fastest guy. Corey (Sanders) was fast; he’s like that. He can get to the rim and make tough shots. We haven’t had a lot of those guys; Corey could make tough shots like that. I also think he can be a really good lock-down defender. He did that in Spain.”

“Akwasi, I love him. He’s got versatility, he’s played in big games and he brings us maturity. He’s a really good teammate — his teammates love him — and he’s a worker who can shoot the ball. I think at the end of the year he’ll shoot for the highest percentage.”

Side note: Pikiell said Yeboah is sidelined for 1-2 weeks right now by a knee injury.

You have eight guards and wings. How do you manage all that depth?

“That’s important because everyone wants to play 40 minutes. That’s the world we’re living in. But seasons are long. You’ve got to be prepared for all the things the season throws at you. Tweaked ankles, sickness, (Mamadou Doucoure’s) back last year. We need depth the way I want to play — full court, drive-it basketball. And practices are important. In the past we haven’t had the kind of structure where if someone had a bad practice they could lose their starting position. Now we’re in that place.”

You mentioned playing full court. Given the team’s guard-oriented makeup, how much will Rutgers push and pressure the ball compared to years past?

“We were never able to play that way because we had big plodders and guys who couldn’t shoot and not a lot of ball-handlers. Now we have some versatility. People say, ‘Well, you’re going to run.’ But Wisconsin is not turning the ball over. So the pace in that game, they’re going to walk the ball up and slow it down.”

“We have to be good at playing basketball, first and foremost. I do think we have a chance to do more defensively — mix up defenses and play full court. People think you can always run and trap, but when you have no depth and you do that, you’re going to foul more. You’re going to give up more layups. So there’s some give and take when you open the up the floor to 94 feet.”

“I think we can play that way this year, which I like. But there’s going to be certain games we can’t play that way. I want to have a versatile team. We’re pressing more, we’re doing things we didn’t do last year, because I think we have the depth to do it.”

Heading into year four, how far along is the culture you envisioned building?

A. “Your culture is a daily thing. You’re always working on this stuff. We’ve built a program now where they come to work in the gym all the time, which I love. And this new facility (the APC) will help that a tremendous amount. And we play very unselfish. Those are things I set out three seasons ago to build.”

“But every season brings different obstacles and different problems. We’ve got to continue to preach those things, and now we have to expect to win. Expecting to win has to become part of this culture, too.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.