4/21/2017 basketball Edit

Garrison Brooks Commits To UNC

4-Star Auburn, AL, forward Garrison Brooks, who recently decommitted from Miss. State, committed to UNC on Friday night.

THI Staff

THI Stff

Garrison Brooks, a 6-10, 230-pound forward from Auburn High School in Auburn, AL, committed to play at North Carolina, he confirmed to THI on on Friday night.

"I'm happy to be a Tar Heel," Brooks then said.

Brooks, a member of the class of 2017 who had been committed to play at Mississippi State since last fall, was released from his letter of intent last week. He was supposed to host UNC head coach Roy Williams and assistant coach Hubert Davis on Wednesday, but the UNC coaches canceled the meeting, though they spoke on the phone instead.

Brooks, whose father is an assistant at MSU, received instant interest from Iowa State, Kansas and SMU, among others, and was going to take a longer look at those schools before making his decision, an approach UNC encouraged during their conversation Wednesday.

"There was nothing significant," Brooks' mother, Tamala Colquit told THI about the conversation Wednesday. "Coach Davis asked Garrison if he needed time and informed him that there was no pressure. Garrison is heavily considering UNC. He just wants to make the right decision this time and make it final. They are a worthy option and he wants to make the decision with as little pressure and stress.

"They just told him that when he's ready to close the deal, they're ready. The visit wasn't cancelled due to interest in either party's behalf. This is just a delicate situation with the release and he wants to get it right and make it final."

But Brooks went ahead and decided to let Williams know he wanted to be a Tar Heel and end his recruitment.

“I think UNC played it perfectly with Brooks,” said Clint Jackson, THI’s senior basketball recruiting analyst. “They took the pressure off, told him to take his time and let him know that he had a standing offer. I think the feeling that left Brooks with, was that he could make his own decision. And he did.”

Jackson has seen Brooks plays numerous times and has been on this recruitment from day one. So, how will Brooks, the No. 120 overall player in the class nationally, fit in at UNC?

“He is a kid with size and skill,” Jackson said. “He's mobile and skilled. He will be a weapon from mid-range and the secondary break. “He gives the Heels another potential strong ACC post player to build on. I think he is a guy who we will see get better and better during his time in Chapel Hill.”

Stay with THI for more on this developing story.