Rutgers basketball: Why Geo Baker and Corey Sanders are thriving together in the backcourt

PISCATAWAY - They’ve only been backcourt mates for a month, but the rapport between Corey Sanders and Geo Baker feels much older.

That chemistry is not something to be taken for granted when a talented freshman plays the same position as an established upperclassman.

But there it was on full display Saturday night as Rutgers basketball rocked Fairleigh Dickinson 92-54. Baker, the freshman, posted his first collegiate double-double with 19 points and 11 assists. Junior Sanders tallied 19 points, six rebounds and three assists.

“I guess you could say we’ve taken each other under our wings,” Sanders said. “You learn about each other, learn each other’s style of play. Since he got here, I knew we would be a good backcourt together — just by the way he shoots the ball, the way he attacks, the way he passes. I haven’t had to coach him up or anything.”

He added, “When you’re a good player it just comes to you, and Geo’s doing a great job.”

Fairleigh Dickinson (3-6) coach Greg Herenda was impressed with Baker, who posted the most regulation-time assists by a Rutgers player since Marquis Webb dished 11 in 2005 vs. Syracuse.

"For a young kid, he has great floor vision and poise,” Herenda said. “He has a great feel for the game, and the ability to score. Some players have one or the other.”

Herenda said Baker, who shot 7 of 11 from the floor and committed just one turnover, is playing with “extreme confidence” and sees “a really bright future” for the New Hampshire native.

In the romp’s biggest highlight, Sanders found Baker for a full-stride alley-oop dunk in transition.

“We’re always running plays for each other in practice,” Baker said. “When two guys like us come together, it’s easy to find chemistry. We’re both playmakers, and we like making plays for each other.”

For Sanders, who shot 8 of 14 Saturday and committed just two turnovers, Baker’s presence may drop his scoring numbers but he’s mature enough to know how much it helps him in other areas.

“I don’t have to bring the ball up every time, I don’t have to guard the best player every time,” Sanders said. “That’s taken some toll off my body. It feels good to have two ball-handlers out there who can play the same position.”

The interchangeability gives Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell some options.

“Both of them are really figuring it out,” Pikiell said. “I can move them both around. We’re comfortable with both of them playing on the ball or off the ball. They do a good job together and I look forward to that continuing.”

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. Sanders was unselfish. He’s three points away from becoming the 42nd Rutgers player to reach the 1,000-point career milestone, and he knows it. But he mostly looked to set teammates up in the second half. Sanders should reach it when Fordham visits Tuesday, and if he continues scoring at this pace, he could become the 17th Scarlet Knight to reach 1,300 points.

“That (scoring 1,000) is the kind of thing you grow up wanting to do,” he said. “It’s very exciting. I’m really going to be lost for words when it happens.”

2. Mike Williams is coming on. After a long slump, he senior guard is finding the net again. He scored 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting and grabbed five boards in 21 minutes off the bench.

“I’ve challenged him the last three or four games to rebound,” Pikiell said. “Because he’s rebounding, he’s getting back to the foul line too and doing some nice stuff around the basket. So, tip of the hat to Mike. Mike is one of those guys who you have a conversation with and he tries to do what you ask.”

3. The minutes are piling up. This was the fourth leg of a five-game, 10-day stretch that is almost NBA-like. Despite the wide margin, Pikiell wound up using four starters for 25-plus minutes (30 for Sanders, 28 for Baker). He’s been easing up in practice to compensate.

“You’re always worried about that because we’ve jammed a lot of games here,” Pikiell said. “Plus, we’ve got finals, it’s the last week of school too. So, we’ve got some academic hurdles too that we have to go through. So, you’re always kind of eyeing it but they’ve got to get through some tough times now. This is the grind of the season.”

4. Issa Thiam needs to shoot more. The sophomore wing, who takes longer than most players to get his shot off, scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbed nine boards. That’s more like it for a player who has seemed gun-shy over the past several contests.

5. The Seton Hall rivalry is returning to form. The Dec. 16 Garden State Hardwood Classic at the RAC is sold out. That’s the first time the series has sold out in Piscataway since 2011, and it’s the RAC’s first sellout of any kind since a February 2015 visit from Ohio State.

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com