Keion Brooks Jr. returns from break with confidence, leads 'Cats to victory

Keion Brooks Jr. will be the first to admit he gets down on himself at times, especially when his on-court production doesn’t match the lofty expectations he sets for himself. The junior forward wants and expects the same star performances fans hoped he’d consistently put together in year three.

“My confidence can wane from time to time,” Brooks said Wednesday, “and that’s not a good thing.”

He’s been solid this year — quite good at times, even. Brooks came into the night averaging 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per contest, including standout scoring performances of 22 and 17 points against Ohio and Albany, respectively. Engagement and aggression, though, have been clear issues at various points throughout the year.

When he’s creating mismatches, attacking the basket, drawing fouls, crashing the glass, and locking in on defense, he’s a game-changer for the Wildcats. His unique combination of length, athleticism and skill is what separated him as a must-get blue-chip recruit out of high school from the start.

While that’s Brooks at his best, it’s not the version we see day in and day out. Other times, he floats on the perimeter, hunts jumpers and struggles to stay engaged. When he’s passive, he’s invisible at times, if not a net negative on the floor.

Tonight, Brooks played up to his potential, finishing with a team-high 17 points on 7-11 shooting and 3-4 from the line to go with nine rebounds, two blocks and one assist. It was a performance his teammates knew would be a strong one from the jump — one jump in particular, at that.

“He was aggressive for us going in and getting offensive rebounds,” TyTy Washington said after the win. “After he got that first put-back, I knew he was going to have a big game because he’s really physical.”

There was talk leading up to the game that Jacob Toppin may start to chip away at Brooks’ minutes and potentially even take his spot in the starting lineup. Toppin was providing energy off the bench on both ends of the floor, fighting on defense and creating highlight plays on offense. Brooks may have the skill and all-around talent, but as of late, Toppin has had the fight.

Tonight, though, Brooks shined through at the four, putting together his best all-around performance of the season.

“What energy are they playing with? Will they go get rebounds? Will they play physical?” John Calipari said of the battle for minutes between Brooks and Toppin. “I’m not worried about what they do offensively. All ego stuff. If they do the other stuff, guess what? They’ll score the ball. Keion was terrific.”

Brooks was locked in and confident, a mentality he came back with following the holiday break. It was a much-needed mental reset for the junior forward.

“What helped me was going home, spending time with my family a little bit, especially my brothers,” he said. “You go home and you see these 17- and 16-year-olds, how much they look up to you, it really helped me lock back in on what I need to do to play well. That’s what really helped me a lot.”

It’s a confidence Brooks knows he has to maintain moving forward. That’s when he plays at his best, and the team is relying on that level of play as conference play ramps up. Swagger goes hand-in-hand with on-court production.

“My swagger has to come through my energy, using my size, my length, my athleticism to make plays, running the floor,” Brooks said. “When I do things like that, good things happen, not just for me but for the team. I think that’s what builds my swagger and what allows me to have fun playing the game, when I’m flying around and just making effort plays.”

Now in Brooks’ third year at Kentucky, Calipari knows he can hold his veteran leader accountable when the going gets tough. There have been difficult conversations between the two about effort and consistency, what this team needs him to be. At times, he’s not giving enough, and Calipari has made that clear.

Tonight, though, he was more than enough. Brooks played winning basketball and proved he can be a true standout in the SEC.

“Oh, we’ve had (tough conversations). We’ve had them,” Calipari said. “You guys know I keep it real. What I’ve done is, I’m holding him to a high standard that I think he’s capable of reaching. You’ve got to fight, you got to play with spirit. When the ball doesn’t go in, it can’t affect the rest of your game.”

He proved he can fight on the glass against a team with size inside the conference.

“You guys, he had nine rebounds,” Calipari said. “That team outrebounded everybody they played, and they played a tough schedule, by five, six rebounds a game. He went in, and they weren’t rebounds away from the goal. They were traffic rebounds, and he got them.”

He also proved he can run the floor and make plays in transition, asserting himself on offense.

“The second thing he did is he ran the floor like the guys that are playing really well ran,” Calipari added. “Those guys run and they’re ahead of the action. They’re ready to play. He’s now running. So my hope is it’s really hard to play the way he played and it’s physical and it’s bruising. Do you say, ‘Let me try it that other way one more time because there has to be an easier way.’

“There is none. Guys got to touch the fire a couple of times before they say I’m not touching the fire.”

It’s an effort Brooks is confident he’ll continue to play with moving forward.

“If you run the floor, good things are going to happen for you,” he said. “With me, it’s a matter of continually playing hard, not worrying about what could happen, what might happen, just bringing energy. When we have energy, the ball finds energy.”

An effort that will continue to lead to winning basketball for the Wildcats.

“If he plays (like that), we’re pretty good,” Calipari said. “… He played great.”