Eli Brooks still sees room for improvement ahead of Sweet Sixteen
Fifth-year guard Eli Brooks is the winningest player in Michigan men’s basketball history. He has played on a Monday night in April. His fingerprints are all over a program that has made five-straight Sweet Sixteens.
And yet, this one might be the most unexpected. The Wolverines had trouble staying out of their way this season, which is a hallmark of a young and learning team. They finished the regular season 17-13, then blew a big lead against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament.
Now, it finds itself playing its best ball of the season and into the second weekend of the NCAAs. Michigan is the first Big Ten school to ever pull off such a feat.
Brooks, who scored a season-high 23 points and was critical down the stretch in the win over Tennessee, still sees a group that has yet to unlock that next gear.
“I don’t think we’re playing our best basketball, like to our potential,” Brooks said at the podium afterward. “We still have a lot of mistakes that we have to clean up. Turnovers, miscommunication. That’s the scary thing with this team. If we keep on staying connected, good things are going to happen down the line.”
Brooks knows that his Michigan teammates, much of them freshmen and sophomores, can get caught up in the moment. He hopes the Wolverines continue to mature with more basketball experience.
“I think making simple plays [is where we can improve],” Brooks said. “Sometimes we get sped up, we play out of character. Just maturing in that aspect and trusting one another.”
A Michigan group that won’t be denied
Michigan has been up against the ropes so many times this season, as evidenced by the 17-14 record entering the tournament. They were down 12 in the opening-round win over Colorado State. The Vols had a counterpunch for most of the night on Saturday. It did not matter.
Brooks says it speaks to Michigan’s DNA and head coach Juwan Howard’s ability to pull the best out when it counts.
“There wasn’t any doubt that this team is special,” Brooks said. “That starts with our coach believing in us and just the group of guys that are in the locker room. We have a good group of guys that have the same drive, the same passion. And that’s a credit to Juwan, the coaching staff, for finding those guys out there that you like to be around.
“There wasn’t a second that anybody shied away, and [they] bought into the system, and we’re in the Sweet 16. So it’s good to see.”
It seems like he will be around forever, but Brooks knows his days are finally numbered in a Michigan uniform. Any game moving forward could be his last. He just hopes it winds up being the last game on the NCAA Tournament schedule.
“That’s definitely in the back of my mind,” he reflected. “But I’m just trying to live in the moment right now and cherish the time that we have with the people that are in my life right now at Michigan and just enjoy the process of going through this tournament again and having that chance of getting our last goal.”
