Michigan basketball: Eli Brooks stands out on first day of NBA G League Elite Camp
It’s no surprise to Michigan Wolverines basketball fans that Eli Brooks outperformed expectations. They saw it throughout his career in Ann Arbor, and he did so again on the first day of the NBA G League Elite Camp despite not appearing on ‘prospects to watch for’ lists ahead of the event.
Among prospects hoping to be invited to the NBA Draft Combine, which will also be held this week, Brooks performed at a high level and helped his squad — “Team One” — to victory over “Team Two” in the first of two scrimmages Monday.
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Brooks started at one of the guard spots, and played the third most minutes on the team (21). He was one of four players on his team in double figures scoring with 14 points, the third-most points, and shot 5 of 9 from the field, including 2 of 4 from three-point range. He also knocked down two free throws. He did not record any rebounds or assists, but did add one steal and commit one turnover and four personal fouls.
Here’s a look at the box score from the 97-81 win.
Brooks also impressed during the testing portion of the day. While all the results have not yet been released, it was revealed that he posted a 39.0-inch running vertical leap.
The former three-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus was the only Michigan product among the 44 prospects invited to the camp this month. Sophomores-to-be Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan received NBA Combine invites, though Houstan reportedly turned his offer down and won’t participate. Diabate will go through drills later this week, May 18-20, at the same site as the G League Camp, Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
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Brooks was a starter during his final three seasons at Michigan, and had his best campaign this past year. He scored over 1,000 career points and started more than 100 games while with the Maize and Blue. In his four NCAA Tournaments, Brooks and Michigan were never eliminated before the Sweet 16. He made a run to the national title game as a freshman, Sweet 16 as a sophomore and fifth-year senior and Elite Eight as a true senior (the event was canceled in 2020, his junior campaign).
Brooks shouldered more of a load than he ever had to in his Michigan career in 2022. Not only was he the Wolverines’ captain and top leader, Brooks also served as the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer (12.8 points per game) after slotting fourth on the team in points per game in 2021 and fifth in 2020.
Brooks did a little bit of everything all year, generating 0.933 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler (73rd percentile in the country) and shooting an adjusted 60.4 percent on catch-and-shoot jump shots (21st in the Big Ten, which made up over 35 percent of his looks).
He’s now taking his shot at the next level, and appears to be on his way to earning himself at least a spot in the G League.
