SEC has eye on Brooks
Auburn (Ala.) power forward Garrison Brooks is one of the most highly regarded post players in the South in the Class of 2017 because of his ability on the court and the work he’s in the classroom as well.
Interest has come in from programs throughout the southeast and up the eastern seaboard, but the four-star who is ranked No. 89 nationally is mostly focused on Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, UAB and Vanderbilt at this point in his recruitment.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Brooks spent the weekend visiting Georgia and saw it defeat Arkansas.
Georgia: “It was great to be honest. I saw a lot of difference between high school and college. I really focused in on how Yante [Maten] was playing. He’s really good and really physical. That’s what I thought was the difference between high school and college. He’s real physical and big. It was fun watching him and [Moses] Kingsley go at it.”
Brooks also visited Vanderbilt early in January.
“They have a really good program. Their development of big men is good. They have a chance to give you one of the best educations in the South. I really like them.”
He also told us what stands out about UAB, Alabama, and Mississippi State, where his father George played and is currently an assistant for Ben Howland.
UAB: “They are really good. They are a program on the rise. You just never really hear about them because they are in Conference USA. They don’t get enough credit really.”
Mississippi State: “They are alright. They have come a long ways. They are starting to pick things up in the SEC. I saw the highlights of them beating Ole Miss, so that’s good. I’m not going to go there just because my dad is an assistant there. I’d go there because I like it.”
Alabama: “They don’t really throw the ball to the post this year because their post players are struggling. They could really use somebody like me. From what Coach (Antoine) Petway told me, I could make a difference there. Coach Avery (Johnson) will play young guys and they lose a couple big guys.”
WHAT’S NEXT?: The four-star prospect plans to take a visit to Florida soon. It’s expected that he’ll continue to visit the schools on his list when possible as well. He’s aiming to have his decision out of the way by September at the latest.
RIVALS’ REACTION: Brooks made it pretty clear that Georgia, UAB and Vanderbilt are standing out the most in no particular order.