Another year, and another 5-star player in the state of Indiana is attracting all of college basketball’s blue bloods. With a limited time frame, Archie Miller, Ed Schilling and the rest of the Hoosier coaching staff worked miracles to get Romeo Langford to stay in-state and come to Bloomington.
Now Keion Brooks, Jr. a small forward in the Class of 2019 from Fort Wayne, has a growing offer list that includes the best of the best. Brooks is ranked as the No. 16 overall player and 5th best small forward in the Class of 2019 according to 247Sports. Both of those numbers are trending up.
In addition to an Indiana offer, he holds offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Ohio State, and North Carolina, among others.
While losing Brooks to any out-of-state team would be difficult to swallow, that would be particularly true if the 6-foot-8 forward were to commit to Kentucky. Based on an interview that was released over the weekend, the Wildcats are attempting to do just that, and they are in full court press mode to make it happen.
Kentucky coaches are showing Brooks a path to the NBA by following former Wildcat Kevin Knox.
“I’ve heard comparisons to Kevin Knox this past year. The way he is versatile and able to play multiple positions on the floor. They (the coaching staff) tell me that I have that edge about myself that I can come in and be an impact player.”
It isn’t all bad for the Hoosiers. Most recruiting analysts believe that Brooks’ Indy Heat teammate Trayce Jackson-Davis is Bloomington bound. It seems clear that continuing to team up with his fellow 5-star EYBL teammate is an attractive option.
“Of course my teammate Trayce, I’d love to play with him in college. It’s going to take some time for me to sit down and decide who all I want to play with.”
While the competition is stiff, it sounds like Indiana will be on Brooks’ final list of schools. In a report on 247Sports today, he indicated that he would like to take an official visit to IU at Hoosier Hysteria in October. Brooks and his family attended the event last year, and by all accounts walked away impressed. Based on previous comments he has made, Brooks will probably be down to only a few schools by that time.
In our estimation, it appears likely to come down to Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan State, and the ultimate decision could be impacted by the timing of a decision by another 5-star wing, Trendon Watford.
The process to start distilling Brooks’ list down is likely to start soon. He currently holds 21 scholarship offers, but appears to be close to focusing in on the group that he is strongly considering.
“We are going to sit down and try to cut down my list sometime soon, and then we will take it from there.”
ANOTHER BIG WEEKEND
Already a big name in the Class of 2019, Brooks has done nothing to diminish that standing this spring. He was named MVP of the Nike EYBL session in Westfield, Indiana two weeks ago. He has been a regular on the lists developed by national recruiting analysts with regard to who is standing out each weekend on the circuit.
This weekend in Atlanta has been no exception. Through two games Brooks averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
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