Defend the Block: Brooks on Decision to Return for Final Act
10/26/2021 7:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Features
On this week's edition of the "Defend the Block" podcast, Brian Boesch catches up with super senior Eli Brooks, who discusses his school-related goals during his fifth year at Michigan (9:00), the decision-making process behind returning for this season (11:30), some of the key players on this year's team (16:30) and the motivation around the program following the Elite Eight loss (26:15).
By Ainsley Carpenter
Nicknamed "The Professor " by head coach Juwan Howard himself, fifth-year guard Eli Brooks has made -- and continues to make -- his mark on the University of Michigan men's basketball program.
He was there when the Wolverines played for the 2018 national championship and helped welcome Howard as the program's new head coach. A leader on and off the court, some of Brooks' greatest contributions came in the 2020-21 season when he led Michigan on a deep NCAA Tournament run.
And he's not done yet. Brooks announced over the summer that he would take advantage of the extra year of eligibility, granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to play one last season with the Wolverines.
As the 2021-22 season looms ahead, Brooks will be expected to build upon his previous success and further his role as a team leader and major contributor towards the team's goals of making another deep tournament run and the chance to win it all.
"I think that's one of the major reasons why I came back: to be able to have another Final Four run and hopefully win a national championship."
Another reason he chose to return was the opportunity to pursue a master's degree from the School of Social Work.
"I've always had a real passion for helping others, so that's what led me to get into the School of Social Work," he told host Brian Boesch on this week's episode of the "Defend the Block" podcast. "That was a goal of mine anyways, to get a master's ... after I was done playing."
Coaching, an obvious career choice for the man nicknamed Michigan's "fourth assistant coach," is not off the table for Brooks. However, he loves the idea of using his future degree in a different setting.
"I always really enjoyed working with kids," he said. "I'm just not sure where that will be at, if it's in a hospital, schooling, after-school programs, that kind of thing, but I've always been drawn to helping kids because I can see myself in others."
Despite the big plans for his final act in 2021-22, Brooks did not always anticipate his return to Michigan and agonized over the choice all last year. He cited the heartbreaking end of last season's NCAA tournament run as the greatest factor in his decision
"After we lost ... we got a little snippet of what next year would look like," he said. "That played a big role in why I came back: to be able to perform and play basketball in front of fans and in front of our families. I'm definitely really excited to have all the fans back in Crisler and on the road because that's what makes college basketball really unique."
This season's Final Four and national title game will be held in New Orleans, La. Brooks and the Michigan Wolverines will begin their season -- and their journey to the Crescent City -- on Nov. 10 against Buffalo in Crisler Center.
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