Rutgers Basketball Recruiting: Hoping on Corey Sanders, While Isaiah Briscoe Waits

Two of Rutgers top 2015 targets made some news last week.

Top 100 point guard, Corey Sanders came to the area last week and unofficially visiting Rutgers.  The elite guard apparently had a great time on his visit and it seems like Rutgers is currently the favorite to land him.  Getting Sanders on campus would be a great get and a solid first piece to 2015 class.  Sanders is electric, as he showed off in Rucker Park the other night.  He would certainly ignite the RAC faithful.

Corey Sanders is a disruptor on defense. 2015 PG harasses opposing floor generals and really accelerates in the open floor. Leader.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 11, 2014

Meanwhile, one of the top remaining point guards in the nation, Isaiah Briscoe, narrowed his list to five schools:  Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Arizona.  For quite some time, it seemed the race was down to St. John's and Arizona, but when Alonzo Trier committed Sean Miller, things went back up in the air.  Briscoe now says he won't make his decision until spring.  Briscoe's recruitment has been an interesting one to follow, and you can expect more twists and turns as the year goes on.  Rutgers is no guarantee for Isaiah, but they are still in the hunt--a solid season can only improve their chances.

If Rutgers could somehow find a way to land both Sanders and Briscoe, they'd certainly have a talented backcourt.  In 2015, they could play Corey Sanders, Isaiah Briscoe, Bishop Daniels and Mike Williams--a quartet of guards who are quick, and can score and pass at will.  With Shaquille Doorson, Greg Lewis and Ibrahima Diallo at center and talented Junior Etou and DJ Foreman at power forward, Rutgers would only need to focus on the small forward position (unless Etou or Foreman fills in at the 3 and Ryan Johnson develops quickly).

You win with guards, and Eddie Jordan's NBA tenure (and work with Myles Mack) shows he can develop them.  Players would have to be confident going into battle with that kind of coach and their kind of talent.  Jordan knows what it takes for players to get to the next level, and he certainly knows guards.  Briscoe and Sanders fit into Jordan's plans.  Hopefully he fits into theirs as well.

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In other recruiting news, Jeremy Schneider reports that rising 2016 guard Temple Gibbs will visting Rutgers on Thursday. Gibbs, brother to Sterling and Ashton, can really shoot the ball and dropped a solid quote about Eddie Jordan and Rutgers, who have actually yet to offer him:

"I think it's a good fit," Gibbs said of Rutgers.

Gibbs seems to be a perfectly player for Jordan's offense, and would go a long way toward keeping talent in New Jersey. But, just like with Briscoe, Rutgers is certainly going to have to show major improvement on the court this season to keep players interested. If chemistry is better and the new pieces fit, that should help.

Talented North Carolina combo guard Jerome Robinson is expected to visit Rutgers soon, according to the RHoops Recruiting Twitter feed. Robinson is a 2015 player.

In news that affects Rutgers, former guard target Trey Lowe committed to Temple and Cincy transfer Jermaine Lawrence has been deemed eligible at Manhattan--one of Rutgers opponents this season. Things won't be easy for the Scarlet Knights, even in the Out of Conference portion of the schedule.

Speaking of Out of Conference, the Big Ten announced the start times and networks for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.  Rutgers will play at Clemson at 7 pm on December first.  You'll be able to watch it on ESPNU.

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