Washington Basketball: What are Huskies getting in transfer Keion Brooks Jr.?
By Matt Melton
A former five-star prospect and three-year player at Kentucky, what is Washington Basketball getting in transfer addition Keion Brooks Jr?
One of the more-notable transfer decisions across the last couple of weeks came when former Kentucky forward Keion Brooks Jr announced that he would be transferring to the Pac-12 and Washington Basketball.
A former five-star prospect out of high school, as well as a three-year player at Kentucky, the addition of Brooks is obviously a significant one on paper for the Huskies. However, just what is Washington Basketball getting in Brooks next season?
Beginning his collegiate career with the Wildcats in a reserve role, Brooks would average only 4.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG as a freshman, seeing only 15.1 MPG during that season. Showing flashes that season, Brooks would play a similar role as a sophomore with an uptick in minutes to 23.6 per game, and would enjoy a breakout campaign with the Wildcats after making his season debut during SEC play due to an injury, averaging 10.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG.
The former five-star as you likely know would emerge as a full-time starter for the Wildcats this past season as well, averaging 10.8 PPG and 4.4 RPG for one of the SEC’s top teams. A career 8.3 PPG scorer, the stats however only tell part of the story of what the Huskies are getting in Brooks next season, so what will the former five-star bring to Washington in 2022-23?
Beginning with the offense, Brooks is a player who excels at finishing around the rim and is also coming off a season that included a career-high 49.1 FG% and a 78.3 FT%. While capable of extending the floor, Brooks isn’t necessarily the biggest three-point shooting threat as he holds a 23.4% career mark from behind the arch, as well as having only shot a total of 77 three-pointers across the last three seasons (made 18).
Defensively, this is an area where you could say Brooks will make arguably the biggest impact with the Huskies, a team that allowed 72.3 PPG to opponents a year ago. A versatile defender at 6-foot-7, Brooks has the potential to guard multiple different positions both at-and-away from the basket, as well as be a strong rebounder on both ends of the floor.
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A player that could make a significant impact for the Huskies next season, don’t be surprised if Brooks is set to have a career year at Washington in 2022-23.