Comp on Hoops: It's time for Michigan State's Pierre Brooks to rise and shine

East Lansing, Mich. – With Malik Hall out, again, for at least a week, maybe longer, Michigan State is preparing, once again, for basketball life without its most versatile frontcourt player.

Michigan State went through this earlier in the season when the 6-foot-8 senior wing/power forward missed eight games with a stress reaction in his foot. Hall tweaked that injury on Friday at Illinois, missed Monday’s Purdue game and is going to be out for the foreseeable future.

As was the case in November, Michigan State is turning to sophomore Pierre Brooks to help pick up the slack .

The 6-foot-6 Brooks saw his playing time drop off dramatically in January as Hall returned to the playing group and Jaden Akins regained his conditioning level.

After playing 25 to 34 minutes for six consecutive games from Nov. 24 against Alabama to Dec. 7 against Penn State, Brooks dropped to four minutes against Wisconsin and four against Illinois.

He played 12 minutes against Purdue on Monday, the first game since Dec. 21 that the Spartans had been without Hall.

Brooks struggled against Purdue, going 0-for-4 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Izzo said the missed shots didn’t bother him. Brooks is a good enough shooter and scorer to hit those, with more opportunities.

Michigan State needs Brooks to be quicker physically and sharper mentally in areas away from the ball. Spartan coaches worked with him in these areas earlier in the season, and there were sparks of progress in November. But those bright spots waned as competition for playing time increased.

When Brooks struggled on Monday, his body language slumped. Michigan State needs him to spruce up and provide glue plays first.

“We have to get more out of Pierre,” Izzo said on Tuesday. “I mean, it’s simple.”

Izzo was asked what that would look like, “getting more out of Brooks.”

“Hmmmmm,” Izzo said. 

Long pause.

“I’m thinking before I speak,” he said.

Izzo wants to be demanding of Brooks while also motivational and diplomatic.

“Pierre Brooks is a very, very good player, if you ask me,” Izzo said. “He really is. Yet he doesn’t always do the things that would put him in the position to be a very, very good player. You have to take care of yourself on the court and off the court. 

“Great kid, good student, no problems there. But it’s been a little bit of a strain here as far as what we think he needs to do and what he has done. And if you’re not play a lot, everybody gets depressed, everybody gets bummed out. And then you don’t take care of yourself as well and then all of the sudden, opportunity knocks.”

Opportunity knocked against Purdue, and Brooks was late on a pair of defensive assignments which led directly to 5 Purdue points. 

Brooks has scoring potential, but he’s not a good enough scorer to out-score mistakes in other areas, if they keep happening. Michigan State needs him to erase those mistakes – but that’s been the hope for several months. Now, getting him to come through on those hopes is critical for the team as it tries to avoid a losing streak while Hall recovers.

Brooks scored double figures in three of Michigan State’s first seven games, including 15 points against Oregon and the University of Portland on consecutive days in November. He also scored 14 on opening night against Northern Arizona.

However, he has been scoreless in the last four games as his opportunities decreased.

“He (Brooks) is a very good shooter,” Izzo said. “He has never been a great defender. He has to be a good defender. But he has to play the three and the four, so we have to work him in at both spots. He has to be in the best shape of his life. 

“He is good enough to help us and help us a lot. He took some good shots (against Purdue), just missed them. I could care less about that. They were good shots. He had one big-time rebound. I would like to see that on a regular basis and he could if he gets himself in the best shape, which he was this summer.”

Brooks has been doing extra cardio work in the weight room after practices, when possible. Michigan State needs him to slim down just a little bit, improve his endurance level, get all the quickness that he can out of his body, and improve on his reads and anticipatory skills.

That’s a long list. He’s capable of providing it. But when there is slippage, walk-on senior Jason Whitens, a transfer from Western Michigan, will get more chances as well. 

The best way for Michigan State to get more on-court accountability from Brooks is to dock his playing time if he doesn’t come through. It’s been that way for dozens of players in the Izzo era for the past 28 years. It’s the best way to get an optimal level of quality control. That’s the path to victories and championships, like it or not. The vast majority of players ramp up their game and succeed when met with these parameters. Some players become defiant. Others try to deliver, but still fail to harness the level of sharpness that is needed. 

Brooks attitude and drive appear to be positive. Now he needs it to improve his conditioning level as quickly as possible and reach a breakthrough in the mental part of the game. If he achieves those two things, his scoring ability has a chance to come to the forefront on a consistent basis, as a small forward and a power forward. 

That’s a big ask and a big task, with Brooks holding a key as to how good this team can be without Hall, and then how good and deep it can be after Hall returns.