The smile Aaron Brooks wears so often these days tells you all you really need to know about Oregon’s revitalized 22-year-old senior point guard: Life is sweet right now.
Sure he’s the red-hot senior leader and leading scorer of the No. 9 team in the country, but given that his career has been littered with countless struggles and disappointments – from the Ryan Appleby incident in the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament last season and the UCLA embarrassment of his freshman season, to the last-minute heartbreaks of the past two years that overshadowed his undeniable talent – it might just make this moment even sweeter.
“I couldn’t be prouder for Aaron Brooks for everything he’s been through,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “Boy, what a comeback and turnaround that kid’s been in a year.”
And to think, it almost never was. Following three years of underachievement, two in which the Ducks missed the postseason completely, Brooks took time away from this offseason’s workouts and contemplated not returning to Eugene at all after becoming a father in the offseason.
“I was pretty close (to not returning),” said Brooks, who thought of transferring to a school near Seattle to be closer to his girlfriend and daughter MiKah. “It was about 50-50. These players on the team really made it clear that this is what I wanted to do – stick with them one more year and I’m glad I did.
“One thing, I didn’t want to return if my heart wasn’t fully in it. That’s why I took some time away just to do what I needed to do. And I figured if I’m going to do it then we’re going to do it right the last year.”
So far so good, but who could blame him for having those thoughts of leaving early? His career didn’t exactly unfold like he envisioned coming out of Seattle’s Franklin High School as Washington’s Gatorade State Player of the Year.
He missed 10 games with a broken bone in his right wrist after punching the basket support in frustration at UCLA and the Ducks went 14-13 in his sophomore season. Last year, the frustration boiled over as expectations went unmet once again. Brooks felt particular dismay after, on four separate occasions, he had the ball on Oregon’s final possession with a chance to win or tie the game and failed to produce. The season ended fittingly for Brooks when he delivered a forearm to the face of Washington’s Ryan Appleby in an attempted retaliation and was suspended for Oregon’s lone remaining game.
Now everything – from his confidence, his mannerisms, his attitude and certainly his play on the court – appears vastly different this season. Even the way he interacts with the media these days is in stark contrast to seasons past when he was usually forced to speak after yet another loss.
When recently asked if it felt different turning 22, on the day he hit the game-winning shot at Arizona last Sunday, Brooks joked, “No, not at all. My big birthday was last year, you know, turning 21. After 21, it doesn’t really matter until you can eat free at Denny’s or half-off.”
As for the basketball portion, it was a “new lease on life” that has allowed Brooks to enjoy the breakout season, he said. Entering Thursday’s game against Stanford, Brooks led the Ducks in scoring and was second in the Pac-10 at 18.2 points per game.
“I think the addition of my daughter just really put everything into perspective,” Brooks said “I don’t really get in to it too much. I’m happy with what’s going on but, you know, basketball used to be my life and I used to take it real personal. Now things just come easy and I’m enjoying myself.
“When something you love so much is not going right, it tends to frustrate you. But now with a whole new lease on life, it’s not really that big of a deal to me.”
That confidence has resulted in a few unbelievable performances from Brooks but mostly steady, consistent play. Suddenly those last-minute heartbreaks are turning into some defining moments in his final season. Even after missing critical free-throws in Oregon’s lone loss of the season to USC, Brooks demonstrated the type of redemption his season has come to epitomize by making back-to-back game winning shots to topple then No. 1 UCLA and then No. 10 Arizona.
“He’s clearly much better (than last year),” UCLA guard Arron Afflalo said. “He’s playing at a very high level.”
Kent believes nothing basketball related has truly changed for Brooks – it’s simply that he’s a little more grown up this season.
“He’s just more mature, that’s all,” said Kent, who believes Brooks turned the corner early in the season against Rice when he called for the ball late in the game and led the Ducks to an overtime victory. “Sometimes you want people to come along right away. I’ve said this several times, he’d be further along if he had a year or two under (Luke) Ridnour. He had no one to show him the ropes, no one to help him. That’s not any disrespect to Brandon Lincoln and people who were here, we just could not take Aaron Brooks off the floor.”
That key component came this season with the addition of 5-foot-6-inch freshman point guard Tajuan Porter out of Detroit.
“It wouldn’t even be possible without Tajuan Porter here,” Brooks said. “I can’t believe how effective he is. He’s been a great addition.”
Porter has allowed Brooks a few opportunities to switch to the two-guard position where he does not have to handle the ball or pressure the opposing point guard and makes it so Brooks can get an occasional rest – not that he usually needs one despite averaging 35.9 minutes per game entering Thursday’s contest against Stanford.
When asked to compare Brooks to some of the great Oregon point guards of the past, from Luke Ridnour to Kenya Wilkins to Terrell Brandon and on down, Kent was quick to name Brooks near the top.
“He’s definitely one of the best we’ve had here,” Kent said. “I mean that, too. Athletically, he is the best. I don’t think I’ve ever had a point guard that has his kind of stamina that can go like he can go for 40 minutes of a game, never miss a beat and come into practice and look the same way.”
For Brooks, he simply hopes his legacy will be defined by his competitiveness and desire.
“Just a winner,” Brooks said. “We lost a lot of games here and that’s what makes you want to leave on a winning note. So I just want to be recognized as somebody who would do whatever it takes to win.”
So far, that’s exactly what he’s done.
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No. Zero becomes the Hero
Daily Emerald
January 18, 2007
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