RAPID CITY - Louie Krogman isn't going to hold it against anybody who had doubts about his ability to adjust to the college game. He wasn't sure how playing basketball for the University of South Dakota as it began its move into NCAA Division I athletics was going to go either.

"I didn't come in here with huge expectations or anything," Krogman said. "I'm already meeting some of the goals I set in my head and, honestly, I think I'm contributing even better than I thought I would."

After seven games it's probably safe to say that Krogman's own expectations aren't the only ones being exceeded. The White River High School product currently ranks second on the team in scoring (15.1 points per game) after hitting double figures in all seven of the Coyotes' games, second in assists (3.4 per game) and, surprisingly, fourth in rebounding at 4.4 boards per contest.

"That's news to me," Krogman said of his rebounding numbers, laughing. "I wasn't a very good rebounder in high school, so that is pretty surprising actually. I guess that's something that I've worked on without even really knowing I worked on it."

Krogman didn't waste any time introducing himself and his game to the Coyote faithful as he scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists in his first-ever college game - a 79-69 loss to Cornell on the defending Ivy League champ's home floor.

"That was a fun game," Krogman said. "That was the loudest gym we've played in."

Krogman - South Dakota's all-time leading prep boys' scorer - didn't look like himself for the first couple of minutes of his college career. He didn't shoot.

"I was pretty nervous and everybody was trying to calm me by telling me to just play my game. They got me a sub and a couple of coaches came over and just told me that they needed me to go out there and just do my thing," Krogman said of the opener. "So I went out there and my first shot was probably one of the ugliest shots in the world, but it went in somehow. That relieved a lot of pressure. I've only played seven games so far, but that first game was by far the craziest."

Krogman began practicing with the starting lineup almost immediately, but he didn't realize he was going to start at Cornell until the day before the season opener.

"I've been practicing with the first five pretty much since I got here, but I didn't really think anything of it," Krogman said. "I was just kind of waiting for when they were going to put me with the second five, but it never happened. I thought maybe they had me up there to motivate some of the other guys.

"I'm really fortunate to be in a situation where the coaches have some faith in me and let me go out and play my game. They really trust me and I feel that."

Krogman, a 6-foot-1 guard, said a few changes have stuck out in particular through the first seven games of his college career.

"The biggest thing for me is that I don't have the ball in my hands as much. I'm playing off the ball a lot more," Krogman said. "Obviously the competition is better - guys are bigger and better - and you don't get nearly as many clean looks at the basket, so you've really got to step up and try to knock it down when you do. The other big difference is learning the match-up zone we play here. We played man-to-man at White River all the time."

While Krogman's high school coach - Eldon Marshall - and Boots' differences extend from defensive philosophy to personality, Krogman hasn't shown any problems adjusting so far.

"When I played for the (Dakota) Schoolers, I got used to having a little yelling - kind of that intense, in-your-face coaching style," Krogman said. "I don't have any problem with it. Coach Boots is a great coach so I just listen to everything he says. He was the NCC Coach of the Year how many times? And he's got all those 20-win seasons. I think of myself as pretty mentally tough, so I can handle it."

Krogman credits his time with Marshall for a lot of being ready to step right in and handle the responsibilities he's been asked to handle for Boots, who was named the North Central Conference's Coach of the Year six times.

"Eldon's a guy who knows what it takes to be a good college player because he was one," Krogman said. "He taught me a lot and was always trying to get me to improve on things that would make me a better player - most of all though, he's just a really good friend. I still talk to him every now and again and I always will."

The Coyotes (3-4 overall) head into a game tonight against No. 7 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., and while expectations aren't all that high against a team whose only loss of the year came against top-ranked North Carolina, it's going to be a great learning experience.

"Cincinnati was really big and athletic," Krogman said of another Big East team, like Notre Dame, that the Coyotes played earlier this year. "Those are the kinds of teams that are just on a whole different level right there, but that's good for us because it helps us see just how far we need to go (in Division I). That's the level we want to get to eventually."

With a freshman guard who has shown himself fairly adept at exceeding expectations already, the Coyotes may be well on their way.