Brooks Stepping Up During A Time Of Need

CHAPEL HILL – Cole Anthony has officially been out of North Carolina’s lineup for four-plus weeks, but in some ways it might seem like four months to Anthony, the Tar Heels and their legion of fans.

Roy Williams’ team has had to somewhat reinvent itself in the star point guard’s absence, as best as it can anyway, and the results are mixed: Some positives to build on and some not-so-positives to try and discard.

Garrison Brooks is one of the bright spots. His game has ascended quite a bit during this period, though to little fanfare. But perhaps it’s time the junior from Alabama gets his due.

In the five games UNC has played since Anthony went down with a torn meniscus in his knee, Brooks has averaged 18.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, shot 54.3 percent from the floor, and it appears he’s figuring out this whole leadership thing.

Now, it’s just a matter of him finding out what words and in what ways the words are expressed works best for him and the group he’s trying to lead.

Following Saturday’s highly disappointing loss to Georgia Tech, Brooks just may have found his touch after a reporter asked if he felt like he needed to pick up the team leading to his career-high 35-point, 11-rebound performance. The insinuation of the question was that the 6-foot-9 forward was the only Tar Heel giving it his all.

“Nah, nah, nah, nah,” Brooks respectfully shot back, wearing a furrowed brow. “I feel like everyone on our team wants to win. I’m not going to put anybody down to say they didn’t want to win. I think everybody on our 18-man roster, I think they all want to win.”

Brooks wasn’t irritated or offended by the question, but he was defensive; defensive of his teammates who just put forth one of the most bewildering performances of any team Roy Williams has ever coached. Except Brooks.

He was asked about 35 and 11 a couple of other times and dismissed it. He wasn’t going there because the bigger picture is what matters to all leaders, and it’s all Brooks was interested in discussing.

Yet, he could have flashed a smile or two about his numbers and not at all been deemed out of line. Brooks was 9-for-18 from the field and 17-for-18 from the free throw line, the second-best single-game free throw effort with 18 or more attempts in UNC history. York Larese went 21-21-for-21 in a 75-73 win over Duke in 1959.

He grabbed 11 rebounds, registering his fourth double-double of the season, and third since Anthony went down.

Brooks scored 11 points and pulled down 11 boards in a win over Yale last week and had 17 and 12 in a loss to Wofford. The two games in the stretch in which he didn’t turn in a double-double were a 16-point, six-rebound effort at now-No. 1 Gonzaga and a 12 and 9 deal versus UCLA in Las Vegas.

“(Just being) a little but more aggressive,” he replied, when asked what’s been the difference. “That’s about it.”

It goes a little deeper than that, though.

“Working really hard and be the guy my teammates need me to be and be our number one option, if I’m that,” said Brooks, who is averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds on the season.

As a freshman, Brooks wasn’t exactly a quote machine after games. Short answers to questions turned into slightly longer ones as a sophomore. He still occasionally cuts off a response rather quickly, but Brooks as a freshman and today dealing with the media is night and day.

So, just being more aggressive on the court is also being more vocal after games, win or lose. Someone needs to speak for the team, especially when things aren’t going as planned.

Brooks did that after the Wofford loss, an evening in which he looked worn over, perhaps as much as after NCAA Tournament losses. But he still sat there answering every question.

A year ago, Brooks could tuck himself into a corner watching or listening to Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Kenny Williams speak on behalf of the team. But now that’s him.

And much like his developing game, Brooks gets better as each week passes.

So, when Anthony comes back into the lineup, he will find Jeremiah Francis at the point and Brooks pounding down low and taking one for the team afterward.

In a season in which the negatives have been highlighted, Brooks’ growth deserve some of its own space on the platform.

*Note: The presser after the UCLA game in Vegas was an example of Brooks' sense of humor his teammates know well.

*More postgame interviews below...

*Last season after beating Virginia Tech at home.

*Freshman year after a big win at Tennessee.