Phat Phat Brooks verbally committed to the Michigan men’s basketball team on May 14, 2023. Since then, the Grand Rapids native watched an infamously historic 8-24 season, the cessation of the rollercoaster Juwan Howard regime, and still, some 17 months and two days later, Brooks is finally ready to don a Maize and Blue jersey on Sunday.
It took some time for Brooks to even make it this far. Aside from the tumultuous offseason that saw him reaffirm his commitment to the Wolverines in late March of 2024, a knee injury sidelined the combo guard for the first six weeks of summer ball, making his journey all the sweeter.
“Brooks, he had an injury this summer, he came in with a knee issue, and so he didn’t practice, I would say, the first five or six weeks,” Michigan coach Dusty May said Friday during the Wolverines media day. “Lately, he’s really coming into his own. He’s getting more confident in his jump shot.”
Electing to forgo surgery, which would’ve sidelined the freshman for another six-to-nine months, Brooks has been proactively rehabbing his injury, likely the same partial patellar tendon tear that he battled through this past senior year. Even still, Brooks led his Catholic Central High School team to a conference title, averaging over 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists per game, breaking Central’s all-time scoring and steals record in the process.
The resume is a product of a motor that the Wolverines have come to respect, and appreciate.
“Phat, he works as hard as anybody,” fifth-year senior guard Rubin Jones said Friday. “Every morning I come in the gym; I know Phat is gonna be in the gym sometime.”
Dusty May Promo!
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