Brooks perseveres at Air Force, for men's basketball team

Two years ago, Air Force men’s basketball coach Jeff Reynolds had no clue Derek Brooks would become one of his best leaders and most reliable players. Back then, Reynolds was pretty sure Brooks was going to follow through on his decision to leave Air Force.

Brooks had a rough first couple of years at the academy. Academically he fell way behind. He missed almost all of his sophomore basketball season with a torn tendon under his big left toe.

Brooks was ready to check out.

“I wasn’t playing, I had been hurt, and that drains you – that plus academics,” Brooks said. “It was draining on me.”

Reynolds was recruiting in Arizona when Brooks called him two years ago. There wasn’t much reason to believe Brooks would stick it out. Brooks admits that he was lazy in high school. And now he was dealing with plenty of adversity. His toe needed an extra operation to repair. His academic standing was bad.

“I dug myself such a big hole, and I was wondering if I could get out of it,” Brooks said.

Reynolds was blunt during the phone call. He asked Brooks where he was going to go if he left. He reminded him that when Air Force offered him a chance, he was working at Burger King, and he might end up back there. Brooks nodded at the recollection. But, Reynolds couldn’t keep Brooks from going and offered assistance if he wanted out.  

“I hung up the phone that day and I thought he was going to leave,” Reynolds said. “I told him what I tell all the guys, ‘If this is your final decision, sleep on it, spend two or three days and talk it over with people who are important to you, and then let’s talk about what we can do to help you.’”  

Over the next few days, Brooks decided to stay. Many cadets deal with thoughts of quitting before their junior year, when the service commitment becomes official. Brooks missed the first eight games of his junior season to focus on improving his grades, and he has to play with a plate in his shoe because of his toe, but he stayed.

“I figured I started something, and I don’t want to quit,” Brooks said.

The turnaround is startling. Brooks has worked back to having almost a B average in school, Reynolds said. On this year’s team, he is a key figure off the bench and one of the team’s leaders. He hit numerous big shots in a road win over TCU last week. He said one of the main reasons he stayed was because of his 9-year-old sister and 16-year-old brother. He said he will be the first in his family to graduate from a four-year college.

“I look at my little brother and little sister and they say, ‘If my big brother can do it, I can do it,’” Brooks said.

“He’s grown not just as a player, but as a person and a man,” Reynolds said. “He’ll be a great officer in the Air Force.”