Eli Brooks
Eli James Brooks (born October 14, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. High school career. Brooks attended Spring Grove Area High School in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, where he was coached by his father. He played AAU Basketball for the Jersey Shore Warriors. Brooks averaged 20.1 points per game as a sophomore and led YAIAA guards in rebounding. He averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game as a junior, leading Spring Grove to its first state tournament appearance in school history. As a senior , Brooks averaged 29.7 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists per game. He led the Rockets to a 22–9 record, helping the team to a quarterfinal berth in the PIAA Class 5-A playoffs. Brooks was named to the Class 5-A First Team All-State and was a finalist for Pennsylvania Mr. Basketball. He finished his career with 2,426 points. On July 19, 2016, Brooks committed to Michigan over offers such as defending national champion Villanova, Ohio State, N.C. State, Temple and Kansas State. College career. Brooks started 12 games as a freshman but saw his playing time decline beginning  in January 2018. He averaged 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and one assist per game, shooting a team-low 24.4 percent from three-point range. As a sophomore, he averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Following his sophomore season, Brooks considered transferring due to the departure of coach John Beilein. On January 17, 2020, Brooks scored a career-high 25 points in a 90–83 loss to Iowa. On February 27, he missed a game against Wisconsin due to a nose injury suffered several days prior. As a junior, Brooks averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and two assists  per game. Teammate Isaiah Livers called Brooks a "silent assassin," as he was known for leading by example. In the 202021 season, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. His team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. During the tournament, he was undecided on whether to come back for a fifth season or not due to the NCAA allowing seniors a one-time exemption to eligibility rules. Eventually, he decided to come back and play for one more season. Brooks was named Honorable Mention All-Big  Ten by the media during his fifth season. Personal life. Brooks is the son of Kelly and James Brooks. He has a tattoo of Buddha on his left shoulder, as he studied Buddhism and practices meditation.