UNC Basketball: 5-star wing Keion Brooks down to 4 schools
5-star prospect is down to 4 schools after eliminating UCLA from contention
Class of 2019 prospect Keion Brooks is officially down to four schools after eliminating the UCLA Bruins from his group of five finalists.
Brooks’ list now consists of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina, and he confirmed on Monday that the coaching change at UCLA was the reason why he cut the Bruins from contention.
"“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Brooks told Adam Zagoria. “I built a great relationship with [former UCLA] Coach [Steve] Alford and his staff and now with their little shake-up it’s going to be difficult right now to build any relationship [with a new coach].”"
Indiana University is the flagship school of Brooks’ home state, and the overwhelming favorite in his recruitment. On top of that, it’s where his friend and fellow 5-star recruit Trayce Jackson-Davis is committed to play, and the two top-20 prospects talk on a regular basis about a potential reunion in Bloomington. Hoosiers head coach Archie Miller has done an excellent job recruiting Brooks, too, and does really well keeping in-state talent at home.
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Despite that, it appears that Brooks is still open to the idea of a commitment to one of the other three schools on his list.
By his own account, Brooks appears to have a strong relationship with both Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, and Kentucky front man John Calipari. Brooks feels like both coaches have the ability to help him reach his potential at the collegiate level, and his dream of playing in the NBA.
The 6-foot-8, 185-pound Brooks also stated that North Carolina is a strong option, too, citing the minutes that the Tar Heels can offer him from day one, as well as the rich tradition of basketball in Chapel Hill.
"“North Carolina is still wide open for me,” Brooks said. “I can go in and play major minutes. Coach Roy [Williams] says they don’t have a player like me right now. Also just the basketball tradition that’s at North Carolina is very rich.”"
The good news for the Tar Heels is that Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans — who’s closely followed Brooks’ recruitment from the beginning — believes that North Carolina isn’t far behind Indiana, and stands a much better chance than either Kentucky or Michigan State.
The La Porte, Indiana native is known best for his mid-range shooting, proclivity for slashing and scoring in the paint, and terrific play-making abilities. He’s got great size for his position, and takes advantage of it on the defensive glass. Brooks also possesses a tremendous amount of versatility, and a high basketball I.Q.
Brooks is ranked 22nd overall in the 247Sports Composite. He’s a top-5 player at his position, and the No. 3 prospect from the state of Indiana.
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