University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Kevin Brooks
9/4/2025 12:08:00 PM | Athletics, Men's Basketball
The fifth in a six-part series on the UL Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025; next - Brett Baer
It didn't take long for his teammates to realize Kevin Brooks was special.
"I remember showing up at Bourgeois Hall when we all got into town and had our first practice," said former UL standout point guard Eric Mouton. "We had some dudes in that class, but it took about 15 minutes to realize that when the season rolled around, he's going to be option number one."
"We'd connected some in AAU basketball," said fellow Ragin' Cajun star Aaron Mitchell, "but when you saw him in that setup, with a lot of good players, he was a different animal. He was one of the very few guys that you could see at an early age that he could go to the next level."
Coach Marty Fletcher, then entering his second year, knew that the White Castle native was a special player, to the point that he "hid him" early in the 1987-88 season.
"We were hosting the Louisiana Classics," Fletcher said, "In the first round we played Belhaven College and Georgia played a very good Southern team led by Avery Johnson in the nightcap.
"The next night we played Georgia in the championship game. I knew (Georgia coach) Hugh Durham well through Nike and I wanted to set him up for that championship game. Kevin had a little bit of a sore ankle so we didn't play him the first night against Belhaven."
UL won that game 89-78, but one night later Brooks made his collegiate debut, and 24 points later the Cajuns had rocked the Bulldogs 86-68.
"His first collegiate game against an SEC foe," Fletcher said. "That was the beginning and he never stopped scoring points after that."
Brooks wound up averaging over 20 points a game in three different seasons, something only the legendary Bo Lamar accomplished in a Cajun uniform. More than a third of a century after his final college game, he still stands fourth in UL history with 2,294 points, and he's also one of only two players in Cajun history with 2,000 career points and 700 career rebounds.
Because of those numbers, and his many honors on both the collegiate and pro levels, Brooks will be inducted into the UL Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 5, as part of a full weekend of Hall of Fame activities that includes the Cajuns' second home football game of the season against McNeese on Saturday, Sept. 6.
He will be inducted along with football's Brett Baer, golf standout Richard Ainley, baseball great Corey Coles, women's softball standout Haley Hayden and long-time UL administrator Dr. Ed Dugas at the Friday night ceremony.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. in the McElligott Club of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Tickets are available from the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Foundation at RCAF@louisiana.edu or by calling (337) 851-7223.
Brooks was a first-round NBA draft choice (18th overall) and played three years with the Denver Nuggets before a 10-year international playing career that had its final years in Australia's National Basketball League. After becoming one of that country's most respected players in a career that ended in 2005, he began coaching "down under" and has been in that role on all levels – from youth to the highest professional level – for two decades.
But before all that, he spent much of his time wowing Cajundome crowds in a four-year UL career.
"There's a reason I left UL in the top five in career assists and Aaron left number one," said Mouton, now the analyst for UL's ESPN+ broadcasts. "It was because of guys like Kevin Brooks. To me, he was the original Kevin Durant … long, shifty, great shooting touch, great handles, could defend and block shots, and on offense he was just a walking bucket."
Brooks averaged 19.8 points in his career and was a picture of consistency, averaging 20.7, 20.1 and 20.2 points in his final three seasons. Just as impressive, he shot 56.5 percent from the field as a freshman after that debut against Georgia, and was also consistent there – 52.5, 49.9 and 50.7 from the floor in a career that included 147 three-point baskets.
"He could bring it up the floor, he could shoot the perimeter, he could create for himself and create for others," said Mitchell, who is also coaching internationally after a long overseas playing career. "Because of that he could play multiple positions. He was like a taller Scottie Pippen. He was definitely a rare breed."
Recently named to the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Brooks was honored for that early impact as both the state and American South Conference Freshman of the Year. He went on to earn three-time first-team honors in the American South – the precursor to the Sun Belt Conference – and was a four-time All-Louisiana selection.
"Kevin was a triple threat player, great shooter, ball handler and an excellent passer. He could also drive and finish, especially the reverse windmill dunk," Fletcher said. "He was an offensive juggernaut, but he also kept everyone involved. He was such a humble guy, cool as a cucumber, but you could tell he always rooted for his teammates and they all rooted for him."
Brooks also wasn't above stepping up for a teammate.
"We were rooming together one year and we were playing McNeese," Mouton said. "I tended to get under people's skin, and I took an elbow across the chin from one of their players. Before I could get up, Kevin was in his face and they didn't want to mess with him. He was cool, but he wasn't going to let anyone push his point guard around."
"He was from a small school like me," said Mitchell, "and that makes you appreciate the little things. He had some big offers, but we had a lot of local guys and I think we all bonded really well."
Those teammates all gathered at Fletcher's house to watch the draft, and it didn't take long.
"A former player of mine was an NBA coach, and I got the phone call that said your guy is going next," Fletcher said. "I told everybody to stand up because I had a feeling that Kevin was going to go next. And his name was called and we're all jumping up and celebrating, I jumped up and high-fived the ceiling fan. Yeah, I took blood for Kevin that night."
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajuns) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Athletics.
"I remember showing up at Bourgeois Hall when we all got into town and had our first practice," said former UL standout point guard Eric Mouton. "We had some dudes in that class, but it took about 15 minutes to realize that when the season rolled around, he's going to be option number one."
"We'd connected some in AAU basketball," said fellow Ragin' Cajun star Aaron Mitchell, "but when you saw him in that setup, with a lot of good players, he was a different animal. He was one of the very few guys that you could see at an early age that he could go to the next level."
Coach Marty Fletcher, then entering his second year, knew that the White Castle native was a special player, to the point that he "hid him" early in the 1987-88 season.
"We were hosting the Louisiana Classics," Fletcher said, "In the first round we played Belhaven College and Georgia played a very good Southern team led by Avery Johnson in the nightcap.
"The next night we played Georgia in the championship game. I knew (Georgia coach) Hugh Durham well through Nike and I wanted to set him up for that championship game. Kevin had a little bit of a sore ankle so we didn't play him the first night against Belhaven."
UL won that game 89-78, but one night later Brooks made his collegiate debut, and 24 points later the Cajuns had rocked the Bulldogs 86-68.
"His first collegiate game against an SEC foe," Fletcher said. "That was the beginning and he never stopped scoring points after that."
Brooks wound up averaging over 20 points a game in three different seasons, something only the legendary Bo Lamar accomplished in a Cajun uniform. More than a third of a century after his final college game, he still stands fourth in UL history with 2,294 points, and he's also one of only two players in Cajun history with 2,000 career points and 700 career rebounds.
Because of those numbers, and his many honors on both the collegiate and pro levels, Brooks will be inducted into the UL Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 5, as part of a full weekend of Hall of Fame activities that includes the Cajuns' second home football game of the season against McNeese on Saturday, Sept. 6.
He will be inducted along with football's Brett Baer, golf standout Richard Ainley, baseball great Corey Coles, women's softball standout Haley Hayden and long-time UL administrator Dr. Ed Dugas at the Friday night ceremony.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. in the McElligott Club of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Tickets are available from the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Foundation at RCAF@louisiana.edu or by calling (337) 851-7223.
Brooks was a first-round NBA draft choice (18th overall) and played three years with the Denver Nuggets before a 10-year international playing career that had its final years in Australia's National Basketball League. After becoming one of that country's most respected players in a career that ended in 2005, he began coaching "down under" and has been in that role on all levels – from youth to the highest professional level – for two decades.
But before all that, he spent much of his time wowing Cajundome crowds in a four-year UL career.
"There's a reason I left UL in the top five in career assists and Aaron left number one," said Mouton, now the analyst for UL's ESPN+ broadcasts. "It was because of guys like Kevin Brooks. To me, he was the original Kevin Durant … long, shifty, great shooting touch, great handles, could defend and block shots, and on offense he was just a walking bucket."
Brooks averaged 19.8 points in his career and was a picture of consistency, averaging 20.7, 20.1 and 20.2 points in his final three seasons. Just as impressive, he shot 56.5 percent from the field as a freshman after that debut against Georgia, and was also consistent there – 52.5, 49.9 and 50.7 from the floor in a career that included 147 three-point baskets.
"He could bring it up the floor, he could shoot the perimeter, he could create for himself and create for others," said Mitchell, who is also coaching internationally after a long overseas playing career. "Because of that he could play multiple positions. He was like a taller Scottie Pippen. He was definitely a rare breed."
Recently named to the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Brooks was honored for that early impact as both the state and American South Conference Freshman of the Year. He went on to earn three-time first-team honors in the American South – the precursor to the Sun Belt Conference – and was a four-time All-Louisiana selection.
"Kevin was a triple threat player, great shooter, ball handler and an excellent passer. He could also drive and finish, especially the reverse windmill dunk," Fletcher said. "He was an offensive juggernaut, but he also kept everyone involved. He was such a humble guy, cool as a cucumber, but you could tell he always rooted for his teammates and they all rooted for him."
Brooks also wasn't above stepping up for a teammate.
"We were rooming together one year and we were playing McNeese," Mouton said. "I tended to get under people's skin, and I took an elbow across the chin from one of their players. Before I could get up, Kevin was in his face and they didn't want to mess with him. He was cool, but he wasn't going to let anyone push his point guard around."
"He was from a small school like me," said Mitchell, "and that makes you appreciate the little things. He had some big offers, but we had a lot of local guys and I think we all bonded really well."
Those teammates all gathered at Fletcher's house to watch the draft, and it didn't take long.
"A former player of mine was an NBA coach, and I got the phone call that said your guy is going next," Fletcher said. "I told everybody to stand up because I had a feeling that Kevin was going to go next. And his name was called and we're all jumping up and celebrating, I jumped up and high-fived the ceiling fan. Yeah, I took blood for Kevin that night."
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajuns) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Athletics.
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