Almost all D1 athletes can dunk. Doing it through contact was a different matter. He wanted to be a 6 ft 9/10 guard who couldn't handle the ball. If the defense gave him time and the space, he was pretty good at jumpers and could put some points up. The minute he had someone in his grill, it was over. A lot of it was mental, sure. He never struck me as having that dog and fight in him that I see in Toppin and Ware.Brooks has plenty of physical ability. His problem is between his ears.
Toppin update
- Thread starter akaukswoosh
- Start date
Look, it's not necessary to make this a federal case, but I've done entire threads on the subject of Brooks and his performance. I've seen him post up his man, do a spin move and hit a 20 foot fadeaway, multiple times. I've seen him sky against KU like that photo. I've seen him drive and lay in with a man on him, multiple times. He just couldn't do all those things consistently enough for whatever reason. But he had the potential.
Keion is 100% an explosive athlete.
One example above. Other examples Jack hammer lob vs Kansas.
Doesn't mean Toppin isn't moreso but Brooks' was definitely explosive
I was hard on Brooks but the notion that he was terrible or sucked is stupid. I was guilty of it to for a while but it's just not true.
He had too many games where he was not very good but overall he had a very strong season.
O rating of 113.7
D rating of 98.2
Win shares of 3.3
He had too many games where he was not very good but overall he had a very strong season.
O rating of 113.7
D rating of 98.2
Win shares of 3.3
Wouldn’t be shocked if a team took a chance on him. He’s clearly a freak athlete and also has the lineage working in his favor with his brother and the leap he took around the same age Jacob is. Dudes gonna be a stud, hope the breakout is here next year rather than elsewhere.
He wasnt as bad as you say. He had many good games. The fact that he seemed to take a few plays or even a half off, ruined what he should have been. I guess we can say that about several players over the years.
I love Hayes and Daniels but this a stupid *** statement. Plenty of games from both of them where they disappeared. It happens to everyone.
We are 2-3 pieces away from being legit contenders imo.
Agreed on Daniels...I'm not a Hayes fan for other reasons I won't share (has to do w a friend of mine).
Either way both guys disappeared at times. Look no further than EE loss vs MSU.
Lots enter the portal and return to their original school. Kofi last year at Illinois, the PG at Detroit this year. Entering the portal just gives the player another option.
I do agree that KB and UK should part ways. He is way too comfortable here and, if he returned to UK for next season, we would likely see the same Junior-year KB.
I guess I just don't get this. He's a 10/6 guy. Should he be a starter? Maybe, maybe not. But saying he should leave because he's not hitting some sort of arbitrary measurement is absurd. He's a solid player with occasional spurts of productivity and also headscratchers. He's a Cat and he's earned his spot on the team.
Absent a valid reason to leave (something unethical or bad behavior) he should stay and graduate.
He should not be a starter on an NCAA championship team. After 3 years, he has shown who he is at UK. As you said, he is a 10/6 guy who disappears frequently and plays little defense. Clearly, the talent is there. He is missing the most important piece and it is in his head.
If he plays at UK next year, we will get the same productivity. Nothing wrong with that...we were a top 10 team with KB starting and playing major minutes. But, if he has visions of NBA, he needs a change of scenery and a new sense of motivation.
He can stay here and graduate if that's all he wants. I am all for student-athletes getting their degree.
Folks thinking just having Oscsr back was enough must not remember Oscar was on the team last year that lost in the 1st round.
Having Oscar back is absolutely grest news, but there are not enough pieces around him,especially at PG and SG.
He never seemed to ever play a game without walking at least once. Best I got.
I really hope next year is a breakout year for him....he seems like such a nice guy....and I dont know what it is, but I just cant get 100% behind him as a player....I just cant trust him in big time moments just yet....It is just something stuck in the back of my head....I truly want to see something that makes that feeling go away....I get the feeling like next year might just do it
athlete not basketball player
lacked fundamentals, too many unforced mistakes
1653 minutes in UK career and 99 turnovers, .05 per minute
3516 minutes in UK career and 215 turnovers, .06 per minute
2599 minutes in UK career and 165 turnovers, .06 per minute
One of those guys is Keion Brooks, the other two are beloved UK Wildcats from the past.
This is spot on...very athletic, but that usually produces some errors if you are not fundamentally sound...he could progress, but will need more solid play to be excellent...but I think we lose some points if he doesn't come back...we need him for the team aspect
Hope Toppin returns. All he needs to work on is his outside shot.
Brooks was not that good of a shooter but the problem was his motor.
Brooks was not that good of a shooter but the problem was his motor.
I tend to agree here however I am ready to see Toppin take next step and I just don't see how he does that with Brooks returning. I could easily be wrong but just seem to have very similar games with Toppin being a bit more athletic and skilled.
The notion of not wanting him back though is absurd to me. Folks say they wish guys would stay 4 years and they want Brooks gone. Has nothing to do with basketball. Keion may be the single biggest scapegoat at UK in my lifetime.
Prop him up all you want bud.....eye test says he was just ok.....KU game in 3 years was all most can remember about him....teams did not game plan for him, did not fear him and did not worry about him for a reason.
Oscar 1st, TyTy 2nd, Grady 3rd, and Wheeler 4th in terms of teams worrying about UK starters.
For some people I do think the Rupp comments made them angry and they won't forgive him.
Meh. So what? The announcement thing is irrelevant. If players need to have their ego stroked by them, as long as they come back, I couldn't care less if they want to make an announcement.
This is why there’s nothing wrong with testing the waters.
Toppin got some good experience, some critique from pro trainers and scouts, and now gets to work with staff back home to improve his game and us it to help us win.
Maybe not, that's a debate to have. On the other hand, we haven't had a Championship caliber team since 2017. 2023 isn't going to be one of those. We have NINE roster players in mid May and only one legitimate star.
Yeah you make a solid point, however it is TOPPIN who needs to make that move and take that spot away from Brooks. Of course it may be Brooks who vacates the spot and maybe Keion knew that was going to be an issue so he decided not to fight. If that's the case, then I have a little less respect for Brooks than I did.
True but they are also very open to killing countless numbers of women, children, babies and old people in Ukraine....Russia sucks.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha...look who suddenly decries killing babies...the SCIENCE DUDE who supports abortion on demand in the US.
Probably because they know he's not quite ready. He needs to come back and do what Patrick Patterson did and work on his shooting range. if he can develop some range, his stock will soar.
Brooks was a deadly shooter. I swear some of you never watch the games, or just hate him for political reasons.
The way the fans talk about Brooks, I’d leave too. He plays good all year, yet people ***** over nothing. Who wants to play for fans that don’t like him.
Just seeing Brooks get punked over and over again then watching him run down the court like a girl killed me. The rebound being taken at Arkansas is just one of a thousand examples.