Derek Simpson, new players expolding on the court

PISCATAWAY – With the clock ticking down and his team trailing by one point, Derek Simpson pushed the ball up the court, pulled up ever so slightly to scan the possibilities, then burst past his defender and into the lane. With the angle to the hoop seized, he finished a layup through contact for the winning points.

That was the endgame during the Rutgers basketball team’s high-octane mini-scrimmage Tuesday, the second day of full practices for the 2023-24 season, and it might well repeat itself when the games get real. The Scarlet Knights’ speed – and the degree to which they pushed the ball – was startling relative to past years.

“It’s a different approach this year,” said Simpson, who dominated the scrimmage. “We’re such an athletic team. We’re running a lot more, we’re faster, we really want to get up and down and wear teams out – and have fun.”

Vowing to up the tempo is a time-honored preseason tradition across the country. But in Rutgers’ case, it’s hard to see how that promise isn’t fulfilled. The Scarlet Knights ranked 264^th out of 363 Division I programs last season in tempo – a figure roughly consistent with the rest of head coach Steve Pikiell’s seven years at the helm. Then offseason personnel changes brought an influx of speed, and that was evident Tuesday. All 11 scholarship players who took the court kept a brisk pace.

“We’re lot more explosive,” postgrad wing Aundre Hyatt said. “That’s what we’ve been harping on – transition play and shooting shots when we’re open.”

Much of Tuesday’s two-hour workout took place with the throttle pinned. The new presence of two quick ball-handlers – postgrad transfer Noah Fernandes from UMass and freshman Jamichael Davis – has added a spark. So does the increased role for sophomore guard Simpson, a Lenape High School grad who showed flashes as a rookie last winter.

“Derek has made an extreme jump,” Hyatt said.

On a day when the team’s shot-making was streaky – Pikiell said everyone was a bit gassed from Monday’s three-hour opening practice – Simpson lit it up. He swished threes, scored in transition and pushed the ball ahead to open teammates for good looks.

“Last year I wouldn’t say I had the most confidence (shooting), but my role wasn’t to shoot the rock all the time,” he said. “If I was open, I let it go. This year, my role opens up. I shot 20 percent (from deep) last year, so I can only go up from there. All summer I focused on form; I did a lot of technique work.”

In an era of constant turnover across the sport – Rutgers brought in six new players this past offseason, including four transfers – Simpson and fellow sophomores Antwone Woolfolk and Antonio Chol all stayed and appear to be reaping the benefits of Pikiell’s player-development chops. Word is Chol was the star of Monday’s practice (the 6-foot-9 forward had his moments Tuesday as well, exhibiting a nice 3-point touch). Pikiell cites…