MLive is following the top 2021 boys basketball recruits in Michigan. Each weekday, MLive will feature a new athlete and get updates on their recruitment, goals and more. Today, Michigan State guard commit Pierre Brooks of Detroit Douglass is featured.
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Bio
Height: 6-5
Weight: 180
Position: SG
Year: 2021
Rated: 4 star (247Sports Composite)
Commitment: Michigan State
Detroit Douglass' Pierre Brooks II (1) holds the ball in the air as he looks to make a play during the PSL championship game at Detroit Mercy on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020.Jenna Kieser
Born to Play
Pierre Brooks II believes basketball has been the sport for him his entire life. He jokes about how he was already working on his follow through when his mother was pregnant with him.
"I was born to play basketball," Brooks said.
Now a 6-foot-5 star guard at Detroit Douglass High School, it is hard to argue against Brook's prophetic claim. Committed to play at Michigan State and the son of Douglass head coach Pierre Brooks Sr., Brooks II has developed into one of the state's best all-around guards.
Brooks is a four-star recruit ranked among the top 100 players in the nation’s 2021 class by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. He is also the top-ranked player in MLive’s 2021 basketball recruit rankings for Michigan.
"I'd describe my game as a three-level scorer," Brooks II said. "I can score from all three levels. I can pass, shoot and handle. I feel like my defense is getting better."
This last season, Brooks averaged 23.2 points, 7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals as Douglass rose as a state power once again and the Hurricanes became favorites to contend for a Division 2 state title before the season was canceled because of the coronavirus.
Although Brooks II believes birth set him on the path to be a basketball player, Brooks Sr. recalls an instance when his son was in sixth grade that helped boost him on the path to greatness.
When Brooks II was trying out for an AAU team at Detroit Country Day, Brooks Sr. was waiting for his son in the hallway. That’s when Brooks Sr. received the bad news: his son did not make the cut.
"I just remember my son coming to me with tears in his eyes saying, 'Dad, they said I'm not good enough to play on their team,'" Brooks Sr. recalls. "That kind of hurt me. I almost cried in that moment. We didn't say anything really, but we kind of both knew we were about to work and turn this thing around. Ever since then, he's had a level of go-get-it attitude."
That go-get-it attitude helped Brooks II become a starter on the same team the next year while leading them to the national championships.
"At that point (when he got cut), he put it upon himself that he was going to get better and work harder so that wouldn't happen again to him," Brooks Sr. said.
Building a Spartan Family
The more Brooks II continued to improve, the more he developed into a high-profile prospect. By the end of his junior season, he had picked up 17 offers, including Michigan State, Michigan, Xavier, Illinois, Alabama and DePaul.
While Brooks took many unofficial visits to various schools, none stood out more to him than nearby Michigan State. Brooks II never considered himself a big Spartans fan growing up and he did not care too much about proximity to home. After many visits though, he became very comfortable with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
"First of all, I love coach Izzo," Brooks II said. " He's a great coach. I feel like he has the guys' best interest on and off the court. On the court, I love the style of play. It's not too fast and not too slow and I like the sets they run."
Back on April 22 at St. Cecilia gym in Detroit, Brooks II made his commitment to the Spartans. It turned out to be a family commitment too.
"Of course, we wanted to weigh all our options," Brooks Sr. said. "But every time we had been to Michigan State, it was always like a feel of this is where he belongs with the family atmosphere."
Aside from Izzo, Brooks II has built relationships with many current and former MSU players. He said he stays in contact with the likes of Gabe Brown and Rocket Watts, while also having a relationship with former players Cassius Winston and Miles Bridges. During his unofficial visits, Brooks II said he built a strong brother-like relationship with Bridges.
"I'm in contact with a lot of the guys," Brooks II said. "They've been giving me advice here and there saying it was a great spot for me and saying I could come and make an impact. I just have to work hard."
Some of the work Brooks II put in involved improving his jump shot. After putting in hours of work with his dad and shooting coach Cameron Nichols last summer, Brooks II did everything he could to improve his jump shot mechanics from landing with his feet square to getting a higher shot release.
Brooks II's efforts did not go unnoticed.
"I see my game fitting in well (at Michigan State)," Brooks II said. "Coach Izzo has been telling me that ever since I improved my jump shot, I became a better asset. I see myself as a good piece in their program."
Detroit Douglass head coach Pierre Brooks speaks to players between quarters during Detroit Martin Luther King's game against Detroit Douglass at Detroit Martin Luther King High School on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.Jacob Hamilton/MLive.com
Father-Son Dynamic
Despite having his father as a coach, Brooks II said the dynamic has not hindered the mutual relationship along the way. Although there might be disagreements on the court and at home, Brooks II said the arguments don’t cross over too much.
"We bring basketball to the house, but we don't let stuff that happened from practice (come home)," Brooks II said. "Like if we got into a confrontation, we'll settle it."
When it comes to bragging rights, Brooks II said he has never seen and game film of his father, who played at Detroit Martin Luther King in high school and at Highland Park Community College and Lane College, an NCAA Division II school in Jackson, Tenn.
Brooks is not afraid to admit who was the better high school athlete.
"I would say our basketball IQs are pretty good," Brooks Sr. said. "A lot of people called me a guard in a big fella body. I was 6-6 and played power forward in high school and college. I had good passing abilities and I could shoot the ball pretty well, but my athleticism and quickness weren't comparable to him. I think we could both shoot it really well though."
Entering his 20th year as a coach in the PSL, Brooks Sr. could not be prouder of the path his son has taken in carrying on the family's basketball legacy.
"When my son came along, just him being around in that environment and taking everything in, whether it was playing at St. Celilia's or watching the PSL playoffs down at Cobo and Callahan Hall," Brooks Sr. said. "It's been a good experience for me and him to see him develop and be a part of that culture. It's been a blessing. Really, there have been a lot of people who have helped him and not just me."
While the two missed out on possible winning a state title together at Douglass this season, Brooks Sr. is proud to see his son doing things to improve himself away from the sport of basketball.
"He's been working on becoming a better person," Brooks Sr. said. "Being a better brother to his little brother and sister, reading the bible more and spending more time with family. He's learning how to fish. He actually went fishing last week. He's not just working on basketball, he's working on becoming a better person."
Because his junior season was cut short just before the district championships, Brooks II is itching to get back on the court with Douglass for his senior season this winter. His goals are quite clear as well.
“The biggest goal for me is to be Mr. Basketball and to lead my team a state championship,” Brooks II said. “Any other award is great but those are my two main focuses … and be a McDonald’s All-American.”
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