Love him or hate him, when Oregon needs a big shot, Dillon Brooks is the man to demand the ball.
Ahead of Saturday’s much anticipated matchup with No. 5 Arizona, the Ducks had to find their way around the pesky Sun Devils from Arizona State. For much of the game, Arizona State stayed right with No. 13 Oregon, even taking a 60-59 lead with 3:40 to play.
That’s when Brooks, Oregon best-known and most-hated player, took over. Brooks sealed the victory for the Ducks when he scored their final 12 points, including two three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Brooks knew he found his groove after one of his big shots.
“Right after I hit the little midrange off the glass, I knew it was a big shot and I wanted it to go in so I just raised over him (ASU defender) and got the shot off,” Brooks said. “But my teammates kept giving me confidence and coach told me to take whatever shot I liked. And you know, I guess I liked all the shots.”
Brooks finished with a team-high 27 points as Oregon improved its home winning streak to 39 games in the 71-70 victory. Overall he was 9-for-14 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range but most importantly he refused to let the Ducks lose.
“I’ve been with him for three years now and I’ve seen him take over game just like this so I told him to keep being aggressive and cooking,” Jordan Bell said. “I knew No. 4 couldn’t guard him so I told him to keep cooking.”
While most people who cheer for Oregon basketball love Brooks and the emotion he plays with, he’s not extremely well-liked across the country. He’s had multiple incidents on the court that have given him a “Grayson Allen” type persona. The game’s FS1 broadcasters even compared him to Allen, a Duke player who some despise for his on-court antics.
@Prehmmr247 FS1 announcers just called Brooks “Grayson Allen of the PAC-12”. Big difference between flopping to get calls and tripping guys
— Kevin Derrickson (@KevinDerrickson) February 3, 2017
Brooks exchanged words with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski after last year’s Sweet 16 game, which garned national attention. Earlier this year, he was ejected in the Ducks’ game against Washington State for kicking a Cougars player in the groin. He was assessed a Flagrant II foul but the Pac-12 decided not to suspend him.
Also this year, Brooks had the “flop of the year” when Oregon played Utah last week, once again drawing negative national attention to the Ducks.
Oregon’s Dillon Brooks may have set the record for the best worst flop ever
(Video via @robdauster)pic.twitter.com/c1k6hk6wmZ
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) January 27, 2017
Even with the external criticisms, Brooks has emerged as the man for Oregon in clutch time.
Last year, he ended Arizona’s 49-game home winning streak when he dropped 24 points on the Wildcats. Already this year, Brooks has hit the game-winner against then No. 2 UCLA to begin Pac-12 play and then scored 28 points against USC two days to later en route to being named NCAA Player of the Week.
And then there was Thursday night. Add it to Brooks’ growing highlight reel.
“He’s just not afraid to be in that situation,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “He’s missed a few and he’s made a bunch. He likes being in the situation, which is a big part of it. … I thought he was really good tonight and he’s been pretty good for us.”
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka
