There's a lesson to be learned from the rocky recruiting journey traveled by Miller Grove High's Henry Brooks.
The 6-foot-7 forward committed to Penn on Monday, accepting a financial aid agreement to the Ivy League school over a basketball scholarship offer from Georgia Southern.
A month ago, Brooks was considered one of the state's top uncommitted seniors, attracting serious interest from several SEC and Big Ten schools before suffering a serious knee injury in the playoffs.
While his basketball future was in doubt after the injury, Brooks never worried about his ultimate goal: going to college. He is an honors student with a 3.9 GPA and had already qualified for academic scholarships.
"It's a great lesson for the young people out there: Do good in school so you don’t have to depend on an athletic scholarship to attend college," Miller Grove coach Sharman White said. "Henry will be able to play college basketball, but that may not be the case for other kids due to injuries and other reasons. That's why you work hard and do good in school."
Brooks' family has always stressed the importance of academics, but the good grades have more to do with his competitive personality. Brooks served as the emotional leader for Miller Grove's team, which won its third straight Class AAAA championship earlier this month.
"When I get on the basketball court for practice or a game, I work as hard as I can to be the best I can," Brooks explained. "I want to win every drill. I want to get every rebound or whatever."
"It's the same thing in the classroom with my competitiveness. If I find out that someone made a better grade on a test, it pushes me to work harder to get a better grade on the next one."
Brooks' backup plan for pursuing academic scholarships allowed him to be risky with recruiting. He turned down early basketball offers from Oregon State, Northwestern and Rice, among others, because "they didn't feel like the right fit." He didn't participate in the early signing period, gambling on a strong senior season to attract more schools.
It looked like a good gamble. Brooks helped Miller Grove to an undefeated regular season. Minnesota, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Missouri and Connecticut were among the many colleges to call with serious interest, pending offers or scholarship papers.
Then everything changed with three games left in the season. Less than a minute into the state quarterfinals, Brooks went down with what would later be diagnosed as a torn ACL. On the bench, Brooks didn't want to believe it, asking to go back into the game. He continued dress out for the both the semifinals and championship. He never played again.
When colleges called for updates, White delivered the somber news about the injury, which will require six to eight months of intense recovery. Most schools were scared away, according to White. Georgia Southern made a late offer with the stipulation that Brooks could redshirt next year.
Brooks talked with Penn's coaches on Sunday night and committed the next day. He took an official visit to the Philadelphia school last October.
"Penn has been there with Henry for the whole ride," White said. "They've got a lot to offer Henry, well beyond basketball. When it is time for Henry to hang up the basketball uniform -- and hopefully that will be a long, long time -- that Penn degree will do him real well in the business world."
About the Author
