Eli Brooks

Eli Brooks
Brooks with Michigan in 2020
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBasketball Bundesliga
Personal information
Born (1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 26)
Sumter, South Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolSpring Grove Area
(Spring Grove, Pennsylvania)
CollegeMichigan (2017–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2023–2024Pallacanestro Trieste
2024–presentEWE Baskets Oldenburg

Eli James Brooks (born October 14, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines.

High school career

Brooks attended Spring Grove Area High School in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, where he was coached by his father. He played AAU Basketball for the Jersey Shore Warriors. Brooks averaged 20.1 points per game as a sophomore and led YAIAA guards in rebounding.[1]

He averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game as a junior, leading Spring Grove to its first state tournament appearance in school history.[2] As a senior, Brooks averaged 29.7 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists per game.[3] He led the Rockets to a 22–9 record, helping the team to a quarterfinal berth in the PIAA Class 5-A playoffs. Brooks was named to the Class 5-A First Team All-State and was a finalist for Pennsylvania Mr. Basketball.[4] He finished his career with 2,426 points.[5] On July 19, 2016, Brooks committed to Michigan over offers such as defending national champion Villanova, Ohio State, N.C. State, Temple and Kansas State.[6]

College career

Brooks in 2018

Brooks started 12 games as a freshman. He averaged 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and one assist per game. As a sophomore, he averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.[7] Following his sophomore season, Brooks considered transferring due to the departure of coach John Beilein.[8] On January 17, 2020, Brooks scored a career-high 25 points in a 90–83 loss to Iowa.[9] On February 27, he missed a game against Wisconsin due to a nose injury suffered several days prior. As a junior, Brooks averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and two assists per game.[10]

Teammate Isaiah Livers called Brooks a "silent assassin," as he was known for leading by example.[11] In the 2020–21 season, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc.[12] His team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. During the tournament, he was undecided on whether to come back for a fifth season or not due to the NCAA allowing seniors a one-time exemption to eligibility rules. Eventually, he decided to come back and play for one more season.[13] Brooks was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media during his fifth season.[14] With the COVID-19 exception, Brooks was able to play a fifth year and finished his career with a school record 158 games played.[15] Brooks surpassed former teammate Zavier Simpson (146) for the record.[16]

Professional career

On June 24, 2022, Brooks signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.[17] However, he was waived on October 15.[18] On October 24, he signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.[19] Brooks averaged 6.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game before an injury ended his season.[20]

On July 27, 2023, Brooks signed with Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.[21] He averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 points per game. On July 31, 2024, Brooks signed with EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the Basketball Bundesliga.[22]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Michigan 31 12 10.0 .302 .244 .615 1.1 1.0 .4 .1 1.8
2018–19 Michigan 37 0 12.9 .378 .292 .750 1.2 1.1 .3 .1 2.5
2019–20 Michigan 30 30 32.0 .410 .364 .729 3.7 2.0 .8 .2 10.6
2020–21 Michigan 27 27 31.1 .426 .396 .909 3.1 3.1 1.1 .2 9.5
2021–22 Michigan 34 34 36.0 .444 .394 .877 3.7 2.9 1.2 .1 12.8
Career 159 103 24.0 .415 .362 .826 2.5 2.0 .7 .1 7.3

Personal life

Brooks is the son of Kelly and James Brooks. He has a tattoo of Buddha on his left shoulder, as he studied Buddhism and practices meditation.[8]

References

  1. ^ Stoneburg, Brandon (July 17, 2015). "Spring Grove junior Eli Brooks getting looks from Division I colleges". York Daily Record. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Quinn, Brendan (July 20, 2016). "New Michigan assistant Billy Donlon key in Eli Brooks' surprise commitment". MLive.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. ^ Baumgardner, Nick (November 9, 2017). "Meet the 2017-18 Michigan basketball roster". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Brooks, Bauhof miss out on Mr., Miss Pa. Basketball". York Dispatch. May 29, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Allibone, Matt (January 2, 2019). "Eli Brooks determined to play bigger role in Michigan's next postseason run". York Daily Record. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Quinn, Brendan F. (July 19, 2016). "2017 PG Eli Brooks commits to Michigan". MLive.com. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  7. ^ Kahn, Andrew (November 1, 2019). "Michigan basketball 2019-20 roster loaded with veterans for Juwan Howard's first season". MLive.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Allibone, Matt (March 10, 2020). "'He's our anchor:' How Spring Grove's Eli Brooks revived his Michigan basketball career". York Daily Record. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Garza scores 33, Iowa surprises No. 19 Michigan 90–83". ESPN. Associated Press. January 17, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  10. ^ Kahn, Andrew (June 23, 2020). "In final season, Eli Brooks could step into even bigger role in Michigan's backcourt". MLive.com. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Dash, Daniel (October 27, 2020). "Michigan basketball needs Eli Brooks, back to playing point, to become that lead guard". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Sang, Orion (April 14, 2021). "Michigan basketball's Eli Brooks to return for another season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Kahn, Andrew (April 20, 2021). "Why Eli Brooks, who once leaned towards leaving, decided to stay with Michigan basketball". MLive.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  15. ^ Bailey, Andrew (March 30, 2022). "Eli Brooks leaves behind a legacy of leadership and success". SB Nation. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Hawkins, James (February 10, 2022). "'Selfless' Eli Brooks poised to set another Michigan basketball record". Detroit News. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Kahn, Andrew (June 24, 2022). "Michigan' Eli Brooks signs with Indiana Pacers". MLive. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  18. ^ Maher, Rory (October 15, 2022). "Pacers Waive Eli Brooks, Tevin Brown, Jermaine Samuels". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "Mad Ants Announce 2022 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  20. ^ Allibone, Matt (July 27, 2023). "Spring Grove's Eli Brooks taking his professional basketball career overseas". York Daily Record. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "ELI BROOKS È IL PRIMO STATUNITENSE NEL ROSTER DELLA PALLACANESTRO TRIESTE". PallacanestroTrieste.it (in Italian). July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "Oldenburg signs Eli Brooks ex Trieste". Eurobasket. July 31, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.