Delray Brooks

Delray Brooks (born October 24, 1965) is an American basketball coach and former basketball player. Brooks was an Indiana high school basketball star who was named both 1984 Co-Indiana Mr. Basketball and 1984 USA Today Player of the Year. After high school, he first attended Indiana University to play basketball for Bobby Knight. When he didn't fit into the team plans as he had hoped he transferred to play for Rick Pitino at Providence College, where the team was one of the most successful in school history. As a professional player, his career floundered in various leagues before he began coaching basketball as an assistant for Pitino at the University of Kentucky. He reached the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship final four as both a player and assistant coach. When Pitino left for the NBA, he moved on to a head coaching position at the University of Texas-Pan American. He was eventually caught up in a scandal and fired. He has since coached various high school teams. As of 20 May 2015, he is the head coach for the men's basketball team at Clay High School.

Delray Brooks
Biographical details
Born (1965-10-24) October 24, 1965
Playing career
1984–1986Indiana
1986–1988Providence
?–1991Erie Wave
1991Florida Jades
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1992–1993Kentucky (Asst. Strgth & Cond.)
1993–1997Kentucky (Asst.)
1997–1999Texas–Pan American
2002–2003Pope John Paul II HS
??in California
2005–2010La Lumiere School
2015–presentClay HS
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1991Florida Jades (V.P. of Basketball ops.)
2008–2010La Lumiere School
Head coaching record
Overall8–46 (.148)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Assistant coach
NCAA champion (1996)
2× NCAA Regional Champion - Final Four (1996, 1997)
Awards
Co-Indiana Mr. Basketball (1984)
USA Today Player of the Year (1984)

Early life

In high school, he served as junior and senior class president as well as governor of the Indiana Boys State Convention.[1] He was 1984 co-Indiana Mr. Basketball and USA Today Boys' Basketball Player of the Year while playing for the Rogers High School, who went 28–1.[2] He is also retroactively regarded as a runner-up for Mr. Basketball USA.[3] He was one of two high school players (along with Danny Manning) invited to try out for the United States men's national basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[4] Brooks also earned varsity letters in baseball and tennis.[5]

College

Indiana

He subsequently played for the 1984–85 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team and part of the season for the 1985–86 Hoosiers before transferring to Providence. He played more than any other Indiana freshmen, averaging 15 minutes per game and starting seven times by mid February.[6] Among his early season highlights were a 10-assist December 8, 1984 game against Kentucky and a 15-point effort against Notre Dame.[6][7] Later in the season, he tallied 16 points against Minnesota.[8] By the end of the season, he had started 12 games, but his playing time was reduced and he only averaged 2.4 points per game to start his sophomore season.[9] He had been expected to be the sixth man behind Steve Alford and Stew Robinson.[10] He was frustrated with his lack of playing time and after only playing 4 minutes in the first two conference games against Michigan and Michigan State as a sophomore he decided to transfer.[11]

Providence

Notre Dame had been Brooks' second choice behind Indiana, but Notre Dame had a policy against transfer athletes.[12] He was ineligible for scholarships from other Big Ten Conference schools.[9] He had an offer to transfer from NC State, but chose Providence.[11] He enrolled in the spring of 1986, making him ineligible to play until the end of the Fall 1986 semester.[11] Under head coach Rick Pitino, he restructured his jump shot.[12] He completed his ineligibility on December 20, 1986.[13] Within a little over a week, Brooks and Billy Donovan combined for 50 or more points on two separate occasions.[14][15] On January 10, he went 8-for-9 on three-point field goal and set a new career-high with 34 points, helping Providence end a 12-game losing streak against the Villanova Wildcats.[16] As of February 13, Providence led the nation in three-point shots with 8.5 per game in the first year of its use.[17] Sixth-seeded Providence made their second ever Final Four at the 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament with Donovan and Brooks for Pitino.[18] In the Sweet Sixteen round, Brooks scored a game-high 26 points against Southeastern Conference champion, second-seeded Alabama.[19] The 1986–87 Hoosiers made the final four along with the 1986–87 Friars.[20] The Final Four loss to Syracuse was marred by a bench-clearing brawl that began when Brooks and Sherman Douglas got tangled up.[21][22] Brooks led the 1987–88 Friars in scoring but went undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft.

Professional career

He played for the Erie Wave of the World Basketball League (WBL) before founding the Florida Jades of the WBL in 1991.[23] For a time he was working for the management of a drug store chain while playing in the WBL.[24] He eventually became a player/founder/manager of the Florida Jades when he served as the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations.[25]

Coaching career

He later served on Pitino's staff at Kentucky, from 1992–97 including the National Champion 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team.[26] He spent his first year as the recruiting coordinator and assistant strength and conditioning coach before being promoted to assistant coach.[27] The 1992–93 Wildcats made the final four and the defending champion 1996–97 Wildcats lost in the championship game. Ten players that he recruited became National Basketball Association players.[28]

He then became the head coach for Texas–Pan American Broncs men's basketball for two seasons from 1997–99 before an embezzlement scandal erupted. Texas–Pan American had lost its National Collegiate Athletic Association certification in 1996, but the certification was restored in 1998.[29] On August 23, 1999, Brooks was fired.[29][30] On October 14, 1999, Brooks was indicted by a grand jury on a felony theft charge for an allegation regarding depositing a $25,000 check from Southwest Missouri State into his personal account and subsequently making withdrawals from the account. Brooks has denied making the deposit or instructing a third party to do so, although he consents that the alleged $25,000 was added to his account.[29] In that jurisdiction, theft by a public servant of between $20,000 and $100,000 was a second-degree felony.[31] An overcrowded Hidalgo County docket caused a trial delay,[32] but in May 2000, he pleaded no contest in a plea bargain in which prosecutors recommended a maximum punishment of 10 years of probation conditional on repayment of stolen funds.[33] Brooks was arrested in 2006 for failing to pay restitution and maintain communication with his probation officer.[34]

He coached in Florida and California before returning to his hometown to coach for five years at the La Lumiere School, where he also served as athletic director for the final two years.[26][35] Among his players at La Lumiere was eventual Northwestern player, Luka Mirkovic.[36] La Lumiere was a non-Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) member.[28] In 2015, he became the head coach of the men's basketball team at Clay High School where he has served as a special education teacher since 2013.[5]

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Texas–Pan American Broncs (Sun Belt Conference) (1997–1998)
1997–98 Texas–Pan American 3–243–1510th
Texas–Pan American Broncs (Independent) (1998–1999)
1998–99 Texas–Pan American 5–22
Texas–Pan American: 8–463–15
Total:8–46

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal

His father, Raymond Brooks, was the fire chief of Michigan City, Indiana and became the fire chief of Evanston, Illinois approximately at the beginning of 1988.[1][37][38] His younger sister's name is Erika and his mother's name is Doris.[11] He was depicted in the 2002 film A Season on the Brink.[39] In 2012, he married Clay High grad April Presley.[5]

Notes
  1. McCallum, Jack (August 27, 1984). "The World According To Garf...and Others". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  2. Aug, Matt (May 8, 2002). "Brooks misses the good old days". USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  3. Flores, Ronnie (April 13, 2011). "All-time Mr. Basketball USA picks". ESPN HS. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  4. Florence, Mal (January 19, 1986). "College Basketball : Knight and Maybe Providence Help Brooks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  5. Lesar, Al (May 20, 2015). "Delray Brooks brings hard knocks to new job as Clay basketball coach". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  6. Conklin, Mike (February 14, 1985). "Big 10 Freshmen Catch On Fast". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  7. Yannis, Alex (December 5, 1984). "College Basketball; Rutgers Tops Princeton, 54-41 (subscription required)". The New York Times. p. 12, section B. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  8. Conklin, Mike (March 1, 1985). "Indiana Happy Just To Throw Minnesota". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  9. Lorenz, Rich (January 9, 1986). "Indiana Loses Guard Brooks". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  10. Logan, Bob (November 17, 1985). "Michigan, Illinois Lead The Conference's Better Half". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  11. Stanton, Mike (January 4, 1987). "Fallen Star Rising Again: Delray Brooks Finds Life After Indiana". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  12. Jauss, Bill (March 22, 1987). "Brooks Proving Knight Was Wrong". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  13. Rhoden, William C. (December 20, 1986). "College Basketball Notebook; Horford Makes Grade With Translator (subscription required)". The New York Times. p. 53, section 1. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  14. "Results Plus (subscription required)". The New York Times. December 23, 1986. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  15. "Louisville Routed By Kentucky, 85-51". AP. The New York Times. December 28, 1986. p. 6, section 5. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  16. Rhoden, William C. (January 11, 1987). "Big East; Redmen Beat Boston College To End 2-game slide". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  17. Vecsey, George (February 13, 1987). "Sports of the Times; Rick Pitino: Reviving February". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  18. Howlett, Rick (January 9, 2011). "Pitino, '87 Providence Final Four Team To Be Honored". WFPL. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  19. Johnson, Roy S. (March 20, 1987). "N.C.A.A. Tournament: Southeast Regional; Syracuse Rolls; Providence Shocks Alabama, 103-82". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  20. Vecsey, George (March 22, 1987). "Sports of The Times; Pitino Wins the Rematch With Thompson". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  21. Markus, Robert (March 29, 1987). "Syracuse Outscuffles Providence". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  22. Johnson, Roy S. (March 29, 1987). "College Basketball; Syracuse and Indiana Reach Final; Orangemen Cool Friar's Shooting". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  23. McCallum, Jack (April 22, 1991). "The NBA". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  24. Berkow, Ira (April 3, 1992). "The Final Four: Five Years Later -- A special report.; Players Find Glory is Replaced by Reality". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  25. Giuliotti, Ed (March 3, 1991). "He's Not Jaded About Career Delray Brooks, Of The Florida Jades, Has Taken Aim At A Career In Professional Basketball". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  26. Parkhouse, Adam (July 24, 2010). "After many troubles, Delray Brooks on the right path". Herald Argus. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  27. "Transactions". The New York Times. April 21, 1993. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  28. "Scratching the itch No whistle 'My fault'". South Bend Tribune. November 11, 2005. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  29. "Pan American coach indicted for theft: Delray Brooks accused of misusing university funds". CNN/SI. October 14, 1999. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  30. "Texas El Paso's Haskins Retires After 38 Seasons". Los Angeles Times. October 25, 1999. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  31. "Brooks expected to turn himself in". Houston Chronicle. October 14, 1999. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  32. "Ex-coach's trial delayed". Houston Chronicle. April 11, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  33. "Texas colleges". Houston Chronicle. May 16, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  34. "Delray Brooks arrested". South Bend Tribune. July 24, 2006. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  35. Krider, Dave (January 5, 2012). "La Lumiere builds national basketball power". MaxPreps. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  36. Myslenski, Skip (April 23, 2008). "Carmody lands 2 big recruits to help Wildcats' weak rebounding". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  37. Conklin, Mike (February 19, 1991). "Option play: Ex-Bear Dave Duerson, proud possessor of a..." Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  38. Kay, Linda & Mike Conklin (February 13, 1989). "Next year's Volvo tennis tournament may move from the UIC..." Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  39. Wertheimer, Ron (March 9, 2002). "Television Review; A Movie on Two Channels, One With Cussing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
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