Rutgers has jumped out to a 3-0 record and, in each of those three wins, it has received a valuable contribution from junior guard Corey Sanders. Through three games, Sanders is averaging 11.3 points, 3.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game.

The early part of the schedule is not stacked with the best opponents in college basketball, although Sanders mentioned that this stretch is still proving to be beneficial.

“We want to win every game, but these early games are ones in which we just have to build confidence and some chemistry,” Sanders told Scarlet Nation. “I feel like that is what we are doing now. If you look at the stats, we have a lot of players in double digits and I love how that looks.”

Sanders has also seen an improvement in his own game.

“I feel like everything has improved; my shooting, my IQ, getting my teammates open. I am also trying to be one of the best defenders in the Big Ten,” Sanders said. “I am working with coach [Jay] Young every day on the little things to improve my game.”

This past offseason, Sanders once again tested the NBA Draft waters, but decided to return to Rutgers as he withdrew his name from draft eligibility on the last possible day.

“Since they give you the chance to do it, why not?” Sanders said. “I get a chance to get some feedback and it was a really good learning experience.”

Now that Sanders has started his second season playing for head coach Steve Pikiell, he has seen a noticeable change.

“I have seen a change with our culture and how our system is being run. He came in last year and really tried to bring stability by being someone you can count on,” Sanders said. “Even when I was not here and going through the process with the NBA, he called me every day and see how I was doing. He gave me words of encouragement and told me to keep working hard. Having guys around that really care is the best feeling. I mentioned Coach Young, he helped our defense get way better in one year. We are still making those improvements and hopefully we make another jump moving forward.”

And what can fans expect through the rest of the season as the caliber of opponents steadily increases?

“We want to show that work is being done. The best thing we can give our fans is wins,” Sanders said. “We are going to fight as hard as we can. I feel like this year can be very special.”