Brooks Brings Winning Ways to The U
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In three years at the University of Cincinnati, Nysier Brooks was a part of 89 victories, including two AAC Tournament championships.
Few players in college basketball can boast the same type of winning pedigree as the 6-foot-11 center from Philadelphia. And now, after he decided to transfer to the University of Miami, it is the Hurricanes who will benefit from Brooks’ experience.
“I feel like I can bring a winning culture and a winning leadership because I have been on teams that have had 28-plus wins each season my last three years. So, I just feel like me showing the younger fellas not what to do, but how to do it and how to go about certain things [is something I can add],” Brooks said. “When it’s time to be serious, be serious. There are going to be times for fun and games, that’s part of basketball, but I just really want to impact them on how hard they need to work, to let them know that playing hard is not something you can just turn on and off.
“You got to work hard in the weight room, you got to work hard in practice, you got to work hard in the training room and then you have to come in here and work hard by yourself,” Brooks continued. “Because [you get better] when you come in the gym at night working hard, two or three hours a night, analyzing and dissecting your game and trying to overcome [your obstacles].”
After averaging 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while starting 35 contests in 2018-19, Brooks had myriad choices when he elected to transfer following the season. One of those was the chance to follow his departed coach, Mick Cronin, to UCLA. Another was 2019 NCAA runner-up, Texas Tech, while other programs such as Baylor, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech and West Virginia were involved.
Brooks ended up making the choice to attend Miami. The connection he felt with Jim Larrañaga and his coaching staff during the recruiting process when he was a high school standout was still there and that meant a lot to the defensive stalwart.
“Miami was a place that was highly recruiting me before I committed to Cincinnati. We had a wonderful relationship coming into my commitment to Cincinnati,” Brooks explained. “Even after I committed, they wished me the best of luck and just wished that I would continue being the person that I was even after the process of coming to Cincinnati.
“When I entered my name in the portal, a lot of schools were hitting me up. A lot of schools that I’m not going to mention were giving me some backlash, but Miami just showed that they were a respectful group. The coaches were well put together—class and commitment,” Brooks added. “So, when I left Cincinnati, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to see what options I have, who I like and who loves me’ because you have to go with who loves you. I just felt like Miami had the same energy they had before and after I committed to Cincinnati, and when I put my name in the portal.”
Ever since getting to Coral Gables, Brooks has taken on a vocal leadership role with his new teammates. While it can be difficult to lead while not playing—Brooks will sit out the 2019-20 season in accordance with NCAA transfer roles—and difficult to lead as a newcomer, neither has been an issue for the new Miami big man.
For Brooks, leadership is not about how long you have been around or whether you are on the court. Rather, it is about much more than that, including learning from those around you.
“There isn’t one leader that is always liked . . . Some people love me, some people hate me; that’s their decision,” Brooks said. “I am going to be the same way with everybody and, of course, deliver a message to different people depending on the person because everyone receives a message differently and responds differently. To the people who see me as a newcomer and don’t really want to follow my lead, that’s up to them because it’s not technically my lead. I’m leading the way the coaches want me to lead. I’m another attachment of the coaches, just in a player form.
“Yes, I’m not playing this year, but I’m just trying to impact the team, giving them the best knowledge I know about winning. It may seem a little different with me sitting on the sideline, but I’m a person who has played the game for a while and I hope they can take my advice into consideration because I’m not trying to steer them in the wrong way,” Brooks continued. “I’m just trying to help out as best as I can. I’m always going to be here for them to learn something. And I can learn something; leaders are the best learners. I can learn something from the younger guys that I might not be able to see the first time, but they teach me something. So, it’s a give and take thing; you give respect to get respect.”
Although he is not playing this coming season, Brooks does have some goals he hopes to achieve during his time off. While they may not be quantifiable like averaging a certain number of points or reaching a particular blocked shots total, they are important nonetheless.
For Brooks, this year in residence is about improving so he can make an impact on the court when he does suit up in 2020-21, as well as making his mark off the floor.
“I’m just trying to make sure I learn the game a lot more because you can never learn the game enough. [I am trying to] get my body and mind stronger,” Brooks said. “Something I’m actually looking forward to off the court is actually joining the [student-athlete advisory] committee to just help with rules and regulations on NCAA sports. So that’s going to be fun, [as is] giving back to elementary schools around the community in Miami and just trying to help as best as I can.”
Whether it is with his teammates or in the community, there is no doubt the Miami basketball program is better off with the addition of Nysier Brooks, not just for his physical talents, but for his leadership abilities that have been on display since day one in orange and green.
