(2019) SF Keion Brooks Jr. to Kentucky

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Brooks and FW North dominate FW Blackhawk Christian 67-41.  Brooks with 21 pts. and 13 reb.  Brooks and teammate Austin Boucher (everybody remember that name?) collided early in the 1st Q and Brooks had to go to the locker room and did not return until the start of the 2nd Q.  And FWIW, Boucher had 14 pts.

[Uspshoosier 44,219]

Brooks and FW North dominate FW Blackhawk Christian 67-41.  Brooks with 21 pts. and 13 reb.  Brooks and teammate Austin Boucher (everybody remember that name?) collided early in the 1st Q and Brooks had to go to the locker room and did not return until the start of the 2nd Q.  And FWIW, Boucher had 14 pts.

Caleb Furst 14 and 7 for Blackhawk (freshman)


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[HoosierTrav 7,619]

Anyone who wants to watch Keion Brooks, or any other Fort Wayne area high school game, you can go to YouTube then search "Summit City Sports" and you will have a live stream broadcast of each game. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

WANE-TV:  Keion Brooks Jr. not playing tonight for North Side against Dekalb. Coach Khaliq tells me he's under the weather. Hasn't practiced since Tuesday's game.  North with a game tomorrow night on the road at Hamilton Southeastern.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Brooks back in action tonight against Hamilton SE but FW North gets the short end of the stick with an 75-67 loss in OT.  Brooks with 23 pts.; 8 reb; 4 stls; 2 blks.

'20 Mabor Majak (HSE) who may have some interest from IU with 15 pts. 

Edited December 3, 2017 by Class of '66 Old Fart
Added more stats for Brooks

[DChoosier 7,055]

On November 23, 2017 at 8:09 PM, Uspshoosier said:

No he is recruiting bigger fish for that class. They have already had Wiseman on campus for an unofficial

 

 

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Brooks is very, very good but, the way things are these days, not at the level of a typical Vandy target.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Indpls. Star Summary:   I highlighted the stuff about Majak (HSE) as there may be some IU interest in him.

FISHERS – It can be tough being the youngest of three brothers. Such is the case for Hamilton Southeastern junior Aaron Etherington, who drained the game-tying 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left in regulation against Class 4A second-ranked Fort Wayne North Side.

After HSE finished off the Legends 75-67 in overtime on Saturday, there was plenty of celebrate for the Royals fans in attendance, including older Etherington brothers, Austin and Alex. Even they could concede, after a little bit of constructive criticism, that little brother hit a big shot.

“Maybe we are a little hard on him,” Alex told Austin.

Aaron Etherington, a 6-7 forward, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. It was not his best shooting night – he finished 5-for-15 from the field – but coach Brian Satterfield called his number when the Royals trailed 61-58 with 21 seconds left.

“Would he have made that shot last year?” Satterfield asked. “I don’t know the answer to that. But I know he wanted that shot tonight.”

Etherington is a key piece to a team that is currently – and incorrectly – unranked in the state in Class 4A. But perhaps voters in the Associated Press poll can be excused due to the many unknowns with this Hamilton Southeastern team.

Included in that area is 7-1 sophomore Mabor Majak, who played primarily on the junior varsity team last season. Majak, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, found himself head-to-head with 6-8 Keion Brooks, one of the nation’s top juniors, on several occasions on Saturday.

Majak’s biggest play was all hustle. North Side led 64-63 in overtime and Brooks, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, got loose on a fast break. But as Brooks went in for the layup, Majak ran in from behind and got a piece of the ball. HSE took the lead for good on the next possession when Chaz Birchfield scored on a putback.

“We’ve been waiting on this game,” Majak said. “We’ve been planning for this game for a while against the second-ranked team in the state. We wanted to beat them to show every other team in the state that we are coming for them.”

Majak battled foul trouble all game, but made big plays on both ends when he was on the court. He also made 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, which Satterfield credited to his hard work on his own time.

“I get to the gym before practice and get a lot of free throws up,” Majak said.

Junior guard Noah Smith was big in the second half for the Royals, scoring 12 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Senior guard Nick Bowman added 15 points, hitting all seven of his free-throw attempts.

North Side, last year’s Class 4A state runner-up, led by as many as seven points in the second half but could not put the Royals away. Senior guard Austin Boucher backed Brooks with 18 points and five rebounds.

“It was a great opportunity for us,” North Side coach Shabaz Khaliq said. “We’re still learning how to play with each other. We have some new guys who are learning how we do things. It’s a process for us, but that’s why we have the schedule that we have so we can learn how to grind against better teams.”

Both teams will participate in the Forum Credit Union Tipoff Classic on Saturday at Southport Fieldhouse. North Side will play No. 1 New Albany in the nightcap and HSE will face Center Grove in the afternoon.

HSE can take a confidence boost into next weekend’s games against North Central and Center Grove.

“I don’t think there’s a limit to what we can do this year,” Etherington said. “We can compete with anyone in the state.”

HSE 75, FW NORTH SIDE 67 (OT)

FW North Side    12   14    20    15    6      –     67
HSE                     9    18    16    18    14    –     75

Fort Wayne North Side (3-1) – Kroft 9, Johnson 5, Long 12, Boucher 18, Brooks 23. Totals: 21 17-19 67.

HSE (3-0) – Bowman 15, Birchfield 6, Etherington 16, Smith 21, Grubbs 2, Majak 15. Totals: 23 23-30 75.

3-point goals: North Side 8 (Boucher 3, Brooks 2, Long 2, Kroft), HSE 6 (Etherington 3, Bowman 2, Smith).

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

North Side 76 South Side 52 Final; Keion Brooks 25pts.   Tomorrow in the Forum Classic it will be Brooks vs. Langford.

[Hoosier Guy 7,472]

Keion Brooks is good at basketball

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Journal-Gazette newspaper write-up:

Seeing the rival green and white of South Side on the hosts' jerseys, Alijah Long did his part to help North Side quiet the home faithful early.

The senior helped the Legends seize control from the outset, draining three first-quarter 3-pointers as Class 4A No. 4 North Side ran past the Archers 76-52 on Friday.

“I was really just taking what they gave to me,” said Long, who finished with 16 points. “We came in with a mindset that we're the best in the city, and I feel like we showed it tonight.”

And what Long provided early, pushing the Legends to a 22-7 lead after eight minutes, junior Keion Brooks showed late. The 6-foot-9 forward matched his season average with a game-high 24 points. That included 17 in the second half, as North Side (4-1, 1-0 SAC) outscored South Side (2-1, 0-1) by 15 in the second half.

With Brooks and Long leading the way, all five Legends starters finished in double figures. Former South Side player Austin Boucher added 12 points, and Lucas Kroft and Brandan Johnson each finished with 10.

“It's been a point of emphasis,” North Side coach Shabaz Khaliq said of the balanced scoring. “When we share the ball, I feel like we're difficult to guard. I thought we did a much better job of taking care of the ball. That's a move in the right direction, and scoring is a result of that.

“If we continue to do that, I think it'll make us even more difficult to defend on offense. We square up some things on defense, and I think we'll be headed into the direction we want to be.”

Not that Khaliq could complain about the Legends' defense Friday night, in particular how Johnson kept Trejean Didier, the Archers' leading scorer, in check.

Didier, who was held to five points, 10 below his average, didn't score until making a pair of free throws with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.

“This is a work in progress from our team,” Archers coach J.J. Foster Sr. said. “This early in the (season), what these guys are learning, when you step up and people respect you, they're going to play you hard.

“The shots aren't going to be there off one pass. You have to work a little bit. Set some screens, come off some screens. Those are things we're going to work on.”

Knowing that a matchup with Mr. Basketball favorite Romeo Langford and 4A's top-ranked team, New Albany, was looming tonight at the Southport Fieldhouse, Khaliq stressed the importance of building momentum – particularly by starting off the SAC schedule with a victory over rival South Side (2-1, 0-1).

“You try to carry momentum over,” Khaliq said. “Our guys have to understand that the environment that we saw tonight may be similar tomorrow, it may not be, but our energy and effort has to stay the same regardless.

“We have to have a championship pedigree that states that no matter who we play, we're going to be ready to play, regardless of the opponent.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

I have no idea how good/bad Fort Wayne Snider may be, but Brooks has scored 26 pts. against them in just the first half.

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,743]

I have no idea how good/bad Fort Wayne Snider may be, but Brooks has scored 26 pts. against them in just the first half.

They are a big school with a lot of kids. Normally very athletic. They almost always have a contending football program. Not 100% on their BB team this year but they usually aren't slouches.


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[mdn82 25,456]

I have no idea how good/bad Fort Wayne Snider may be, but Brooks has scored 26 pts. against them in just the first half.

Biggest player is 6’5” and they have a few at 6’4”. Abnormal for them. That’s where Malik Williams went. Usually they are a step below Luers in talent, but a solid team. Look to be down this year due to lack of size. Their centers are 6’4”.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Brooks with a Game High 51 pts in win 102-81 over FW Snider.

As is typical, there is another report that he scored 52 pts. for a new school record.

 

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,743]

Brooks with a Game High 51 pts in win 102-81 over FW Snider.
As is typical, there is another report that he scored 52 pts. for a new school record.
 

Langford ticked him off.


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[btownqb 8,253]

3 hours ago, mdn82 said:

Biggest player is 6’5” and they have a few at 6’4”. Abnormal for them. That’s where Malik Williams went. Usually they are a step below Luers in talent, but a solid team. Look to be down this year due to lack of size. Their centers are 6’4”.


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Lol I have to laugh at you friend. My HS was ranked #1 in 3A last year, about a third of the season, and our tallest starter was 6'2. And we brought one guy off the bench that was 6'6. Only two players we played 6'2 or over. 

Gotta laugh when you say their center is only 6'5 and a few at 6'4... we'd welcome that height... as long as it comes with a work ethic haha 

[mdn82 25,456]

Lol I have to laugh at you friend. My HS was ranked #1 in 3A last year, about a third of the season, and our tallest starter was 6'2. And we brought one guy off the bench that was 6'6. Only two players we played 6'2 or over. 
Gotta laugh when you say their center is only 6'5 and a few at 6'4... we'd welcome that height... as long as it comes with a work ethic haha 

It’s crazy cause they are always big. Like every year they would have 2 or 3 players 6’6” or bigger. Not skilled like Luers but even they stepped back after Blackmon went to Marion. They used to always be in Huntington every year 2 or 3 times. Homestead seems to have stole that size.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Journal Gazette

Keion Brooks Jr. had a school-record 52 points as the North Side boys beat Snider 102-81 on Friday at By Hey Arena.  Brooks, a highly recruited 2019 prospect, had 26 points in each half for the Class 4A No. 9 Legends (5-2), who improved to 2-0 in the SAC.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Brooks with 18 pts. in an 80-79 win over Villa Angela St. Joseph of Cleveland, OH, in a game played in Evansville as a part of the Bosse Winter Classic, a special 1-day multi-game event. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,957]

Extracts from an update on Brooks:  http://www.indianasportscoverage.com/keion-brooks-jr-bounces-back-big-weekend/

 The list of schools that have offered Brooks includes Indiana, Michigan State, Kentucky, Purdue, UCLA, and Kansas.  “Lately, I’ve been talking to Texas a lot. They haven’t offered yet, but we’ve been having constant conversations,” said Brooks.

...Big Ten schools Indiana and Michigan State are both viewed as the schools that have been recruiting Brooks the hardest.

Indiana has been pitching Brooks on the idea of staying home.

“Their pitch is I’m from Indiana and a homegrown kid, so it would be special for me to be a part of their program and the school in general,” said Brooks. “They tell me ‘why leave for somewhere when I can do it at home?’”

Archie Miller has been going after Brooks hard since he took over the Indiana job last spring. Brooks said he has been impressed with the job Miller has done considering the challenges coaches face in their first year of coaching at a school.

“A lot of those players are not guys that he brought in or recruited, but they’ve all bought into what he is selling,” said Brooks. “That’s kind of tough being a coach in your first year and having guys that you didn’t recruit, but they have all bought into his system and believe whole heartedly that he’s going to put them in the right direction. That’s the thing I really like about coach Miller.”