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Jonathan Mitchell, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound junior forward from Mount Vernon, N.Y., won a national championship as a true freshman with Florida in 2007.

"I have the ring, I didn't have it with me today, but if the guys come to my room they can see it on my dresser," Mitchell told reporters last week at Rutgers media day.

A former New York State Mr. Basketball out of Mount Vernon High, "J-Mitch," as he is known to his teammates, had trouble finding a role and gaining minutes at Florida. He averaged 1.4 points as a freshman when the Gators won the second of back-to-back national titles under Billy Donovan. Coming off the bench as a sophomore, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.

After his sophomore season, he opted to transfer and considered Rutgers, Seton Hall and Marshall. He ended up picking the Scarlet Knights, where he rejoined high school teammate junior guard, Mike Coburn.

"It came down to that's where he felt most comfortable," Herb Mitchell, Jonathan's uncle and a North Haledon, N.J., resident, said in 2008. "He felt comfortable [at Rutgers] with the players, the system, the coach and how they're going to play him."

Mitchell sat out last season as per NCAA transfer regulations and watched from the bench as the Scarlet Knights went 11-21, 2-16 in the Big East.

Now he is one of six new faces anxious to turn the tide.

"The whole nature of the team has changed," Mitchell said. "[I'm] not saying that the people before were bad guys or bad teammates, but now we have the makeup of a whole team. That's a big key. I definitely think we have the right group of guys. We're moving forward and either you're going to hop onto the train with us or you're going to stay in the station."

Fourth-year Rutgers head coach Fred Hill is trying to transform a losing culture into a winning one and is happy to have guys like Mitchell associated with the program.

"Jonathan's brought great leadership," Hill said. "With the experience playing at Florida and winning a national championship, knowing what those players did, not only do you have to have great talent -- Florida had that -- but you have to have great work ethic, great leadership. All of those things Jonathan was a part of. He now has taken those experiences and explained them verbally to our guys and shown them every day. That has helped our younger guys take the next step."

"Florida was Florida and that team was a unique team," Mitchell said. "Rutgers is Rutgers and we're trying to make our own identity. I can only bring my experiences from out there and some of the things I learned from Coach Donovan. I think I can bring the work ethic and competitive atmosphere those guys had every day in practice and hopefully that can trickle down to us."

James Beatty, the team's new point guard from Miami Dade College, agrees.

"Playing with all the guys he's played with, they won two national championships. You can't get any more experience than that," Beatty said.

A natural lefty who can play both forward positions, Mitchell suffered an ankle injury over the summer but now says he's ready to go. He will likely challenge for a starting spot in the frontcourt.

"I kind of hurt my ankle over the summer so I was out for a few weeks, and I was so anxious to get back I pulled it, strained it a little bit," he said. "But it's getting better each day. It's not a problem. I see myself as a leader. I'm thinking I can be more vocal on the team with my experiences and all the things I've been through."