With each practice, each game, Rob Jeter sees his Milwaukee Panthers improving, growing and getting better.

It's a gradual process and one that is far from completion, but so far, Jeter likes what he is seeing. Picked to finish sixth in the league, Jeter has had to find a way to acclimate a number of new faces on the roster, navigate a grueling early-season slate of non-conference tests and overcome a series of personal adversities for both coaches and players.

Still, though, the Panthers have found a way to get the job done.

A major reason for their success so far is the return of senior guard Avery Smith, who was dismissed from the team last November.

During his time away, Smith devoted himself to improving as a student, excelling in the classroom. He dedicated himself in the weight room as well and made sure he supported his temporarily-former team by attending every game, home or road.

He did all those things without the supervision of the coaching and support staffs, and - most importantly - with no guarantee that he would earn back his place on the team.

Jeter's decision to dismiss Smith had little to do with his performance - he averaged 15.5 points during the 2006-2007 season - or his personality. Instead, it was his willingness and desire to, as Jeter puts it, to help the team succeed as a whole that needed some work.

"The one thing with Avery is we always liked him," Jeter says. "He's a very likable person. He had a lot of success that came to him and he felt there was only one way to continue having that success, but the team wasn't developing. Trying to get him to understand that just took some time.

Back again with his teammates, Smith is playing a leading role. His 12.1 points per game are second only to Tone Boyle. He's been a supportive teammate. He's been a leader on and off the court. And he's recognized the opportunity he's been given.

He's also thankful for that opportunity.

"Just having another chance ... I thank coach often for letting me be here, I'm just happy every day," Smith says.

Smith's leadership has been beneficial to a team that brings back just two starters and one reserve that saw significant playing time last season. Getting nine newcomers on the same page has been a difficult task at times, but Jeter is starting to see his players trust in each other more.

"Somebody asked me what comes first, confidence or success," Jeter says. "I think its trust. Trusting in your teammates. Trusting in your coaches. Trusting in yourself. Once you get that trust, you become confident and successful."

Some early-season confidence quickly disappeared with a stretch in November. After opening the year with victories against Loyola Marymount and Cal Davis, the Panthers dropped a 79-61 decision to Iowa State in the World Vision Classic.

They still felt pretty good heading back from that tournament but ran into a buzz-saw in then-No. 15 Marquette, which handed Milwaukee a 20-point loss. Trips to Ball State and Wisconsin also resulted in gut-check losses.

Thanks to the non-conference schedule, Jeter hasn't had the luxury of working through the kinks usually associated with growing pains. The schedule makes the Panthers' 6-5 record (2-0 in Horizon League play) slightly deceptive. Four of the losses came on the road against some top-flight competition.

"Look at the losses, at Big 12 (Iowa State), at Big 10 (Wisconsin), at Big East (Marquette), then we went on the road to Miami and they're picked to win their league and rarely lose on their court," Jeter says. "Those we some good teams that deserved to beat us."

The team also worked through difficulty when Jeter and Assistant Coach Brian Bidlingmeyer both lost their fathers in the span of a month. Those losses took a toll on the team, something that showed Jeter the type of chemistry his players have.

"You could see that the guys were feeling the pain and feeding off of us," Jeter says. "That's when you know a team is in tune to what you're doing as coaches. When they start feeling upset, you could see they really cared about us and I was really thankful of that."

It's been a long time, at least in the college basketball universe, since the Panthers went dancing in March. There's a lot of basketball to be played yet, but if his team continues improving every day, Jeter sees no reason why this team can take a twirl around the room in a few months.

"These guys really believe in what's going on and really want to perform well," Jeter says. "It just takes time - we still have a lot of new faces. We played some really good teams.

"Through all that, as long as you can keep having fun, keep liking each other and letting the coaches point out the good - and bad - things, on the other end of that could be something really nice."