A gifted and explosive athlete, Brooks returns for his senior campaign after logging the best season of his Nittany Lion career as a junior including nine double-digit scoring efforts and averages of 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game. A skilled perimeter shooter, passer and ball handler, the 6-8 Brooks has worked hard on his three-point shooting and his low block post moves making him a difficult match-up for opposing defenses. Having started 48 career games, his experience and ever-growing confidence make him a prime candidate for a breakout campaign in 2010-11 as he continued to add muscle and strength to his 215-pound frame in the off-season. His ability to run the floor and his 6-11 wing span are a great fit for the up-tempo offense and swarming defense the Nittany Lions would prefer to play.
HONORS/MILESTONES
Earned ESPN Sportscenter[apos]s No. 1 Play of the Day (12/8/09)
A finalist for Kentucky Mr. Basketball (2007)
First team Kentucky All-State selection
A Top 100 rated recruit in the ESPN 150
Ranked 57th overall recruit by USA Today
2009-10 JUNIOR
Posted the best season of his career logging nine double-digit scoring games, leading the team in scoring three times and averaging 7.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg while hitting 50 percent from the floor and leading PSU with 14 blocks...Averaged 10.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg in the last six regular season games of the year...Had 12 points and seven boards in a 64-60 loss to No. 6 Purdue (3/6)...Scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half hitting 5-of-7 from the floor in a 67-65 loss at No. 11 Michigan State (3/4)...Posted 11 points and team-high seven boards in a 79-60 victory over Northwestern...Hit the biggest shot of his career to date draining a 15-foot baseline jumper to end a nearly eight-minute scoring drought with 14 seconds to play and seal a 55-51 win at Michigan (2/20)...Had 12 points, five boards and career-best four assists in a win at Northwestern (2/17)...Scored a game-high 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in a 58-42 victory over UMBC (12/8)...His reverse-jam put-back in that game spurred a 13-2 run and earned ESPN Sportscenter[apos]s No. 1 Play of the Day...Led Penn State with 12 points in a win over Davidson (11/22)...Posted a career high 15 points and seven boards in a loss to Tulane (11/20)...Opened the season with his first career back-to-back double-figure scoring games posting 10 points vs. Penn (11/13) and 12 on 6-of-8 shooting vs. Robert Morris (11/16)...Scored in double-figures in four of the first five games and four of the last six games on the season.
2008-09 SOPHOMORE
Started 12 games and played in 37 of the Nittany Lions 38 on the year as he averaged 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16 minutes per game...Season got off to a slow start after suffering a concussion in practice that caused him to miss the season opener...Struggled to find his shooting touch hitting 10-of-39 from three and 36 percent from the floor...Posted nine points and a big second half three in an 85-83 victory at Georgia Tech (12/3)...Equaled a career high with seven rebounds and added six points in a loss to Temple (12/6)...Had nine points, four boards and two assists in Big Ten opening win over Northwestern (12/31)...Posted a career high 13 points and added five rebounds and two assists in a first round NIT victory over George Mason (3/17)...Hit 6-of-12 from the floor, including a clutch baseline jumper to give PSU a one-point lead with 2:43 to play.
2007-08 FRESHMAN
A starter in 12 games, Brooks played in all 31 on the season and averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game...He started his first career game at the power forward spot in a 74-64 season-opening victory over St. Francis (Pa.) (11/12)...Posted two points and three boards in 18 minutes...Played a team high 24 minutes posting five points, five boards and one assist in a 93-40 win over Canisius (11/16)...Played 28 minutes in a 79-67 loss at St. Joseph[apos]s (12/1)...Had a nice all-around game posting six points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist in 14 minutes in a 61-38 win over Princeton (12/12)...Posted a career-high seven rebounds in a 60-39 win over Denver (12/15)...Posted a career-high 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 from three in just 12 minutes in a victory over Lehigh (12/23)...Made his first career three-pointer in the game and had two steals...Scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes of action in an 80-55 loss to Wisconsin (1/15)...Had a career best game scoring a career-high 12 points (10 in the second half) and grabbing six rebounds in a career high 32 minutes in Penn State[apos]s 68-64 overtime upset of No. 17 Indiana (3/9)...Scored four straight points in the second half to help spur a 10-2 run that tied the game at 46-46...Posted a career-high nine rebounds against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament (3/13).
HIGH SCHOOL
Named among the top 100 recruits in the ESPN 150 and given a three star rating by Scout.com....Ranked 57th overall among 2007 recruits by Rob Harrington of USA Today...Tabbed as the No. 2 player in Kentucky and No. 1 player in his region going into his final season, he was finalist for Kentucky Mr. Basketball honors...Earned first team Kentucky all-state honors, first team all-district and region Player-of-the-Year honors as a senior...Averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 4 assists and 1.5 steals in leading Doss to a 23-8 record in his senior campaign...Brooks jumped on the national recruiting scene after a very strong showing on the summer camp and AAU circuit (Derek Smith All-Stars) following his junior year...Named the Camp MVP, All-Star Game MVP, South Division MVP and won the slam dunk championship at the Blue-Chip Camp in Georgetown, Ky....Named the MVP of the Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh...With strong showings at camps in South Carolina, California and the Super-64 Shootout in Las Vegas he became one of the hottest prospects on the national recruiting scene...Named an honorable-mention High School All-American by Street & Smith[apos]s...Averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game and earned first team all-district honors in his junior season at Doss after transferring from Shawnee High School were he played his first two seasons...Helped lead Doss to a 23-7 mark, district title and the regional semifinals of the state playoffs...A three-year starter and 1,000-point scorer for his high school career...Developed his perimeter skills as a 6-4 guard before growing into a larger wing following his sophomore season.
PERSONAL
The son of Jeff Brooks, Sr. and Phyllis Brooks...He has a younger brother, Phillip...Born on June 12, 1989...Lists Lebron James and his parents as the people he most admires and is a reader of the Harry Potter series of books.