While Jimmie Inglis was taking his protracted sojourn through the backwoods of basketball – from St. Lucia to little-known Christian Faith Academy, from The Bronx and Globe Tech to Eastern Oklahoma State – the book on him was always the same: nice moves, no defense. If he could get in shape, he’d get playing time.

Now, Rutgers’ senior center has finally done just that, improving both his fitness and his defense enough to give RU meaningful minutes. With starting center Byron Joynes adding a tender toe to his already-sore shoulder, and Adrian Hill out with a bad knee, it couldn’t come at a better time.

Inglis averaged just 2.6 points on 52-percent shooting through the first 14 games, hitting 50 percent from the stripe and blocking a totalof two shots. Over the last four, going into last night vs. Providence, he averaged nine on 80-percent shooting, hitting 90.5 percent from the line with four blocks.

“Jimmie is truly an offensive presence. He’s not just in there to be in there. He can put pressure on a defense with his presence,” coach Gary Waters said. “Last year he was so overweight, but the last three games of the season he probably scored better than he had all year because he was getting in shape. And he really worked hard this summer to get himself in shape.”

Inglis had a career-high 16 in the previous game against Cincinnati, a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor while the rest of the club shot 17-for-48.

“I feel much more comfortable,” said Inglis, who worked with new assistant Fred Hill on getting position early, sealing his man off to keep it, and being quicker with his moves. “My teammates have got confidence throwing it down to me, the coaches are confident. They tell me: Keep doing what I’m doing.”

But the biggest issue, literally, is that Inglis isn’t as big. The 6-9 JUCO transfer arrived at RU weighing 285 pounds, much of it put on when he missed a season-and-a-half with a bad back. But after going on a fish-based diet this

summer, running and working construction, he’s down to 251 and is agile enough to improve his once sieve-like defense.

“Every time you’re on the floor, you want to help the team, not hurt the team,” Inglis said. “I’m a senior. Guys look up to me. It’s my last year playing college ball. I had to get things together to be out on the floor to help my team.”