That’s where the misconceptions come from, perhaps.

“Everybody always jokes [that] I straddle the line between a genius and an idiot,” Saunders said.

Saunders is fine with others seeing his lack of emotions as a lack of attention. He just makes them pay. On the court, that means jumping passing lanes and taking advantage of lax defenders. Elsewhere, that mentality leads to his joking nature.

Saunders talked with Amaker last year about potentially becoming a captain, but the pair decided it would be better if Saunders focused on basketball. That meant he could keep his goofy locker room personality, too.

There are times when Saunders plays things too cool, like when he decided to stay up all night before the team’s trip to the Bahamas in 2011 only to be woken up by former assistant coach Yanni Hufnagel after dozing off at some point in the night.

But generally, Saunders is in control and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice, whether it looks like it or not. In the locker room, those moments come when players go to the bathroom. They have come to expect an occasional water bottle being dumped on their heads, courtesy of the prankster.

But they better get retribution against him fast, because once the game starts, that Saunders is gone.

—Staff writer Jacob D. H. Feldman can be reached at jacob.feldman@thecrimson.com.