J’Raan Brooks – Seattle, WA
Forward | 6-foot-9 | 220 lbs | No. 83 overall
The recruitment of J’Raan Brooks was one of the most interesting stories to follow off the court in college basketball over the past year. In September of 2017, Brooks committed to play for the USC Trojans but elected to reopen his recruitment in October. Then, just a few months later he committed to St. John’s only to once again reopen his recruitment. Finally, on the day of disappointment for many USC fans (aka Selection Sunday 2018), Brooks decided that he would actually be coming to play in SoCal.
Regardless of how the Trojans got to this point, though, they have to be excited about landing Brooks. A top-100 prospect in the 2018 class, Brooks projects as the power forward of the present and future for USC. Although he does not stretch the floor tremendously well, he is already a polished post scorer that is well-built for the college game. He has plenty of strength to score and rebound right away as a freshman and that should be welcome news for the Trojans.
Brooks is an above-average athlete and he sees the floor quite well out of the post. He is capable of making the right read based on how defenses react to his post setup and can find the open man on a cut or on the perimeter. He plays with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor and this allows him to be a solid defender as well. In addition, Brooks has already shown the ability to be a solid mid-range shooter even if that success has not translated to beyond the 3-point arc yet.
In terms of playing time as a freshman, there should be plenty available for Brooks. Nick Rakocevic and Bennie Boatwright will be the guaranteed starters in the frontcourt during this upcoming campaign but Brooks should find a consistent role as a reserve at both positions.