Washington-bound Keion Brooks seen as player who can ‘help tremendously’
Upon announcing Monday that he will transfer from Kentucky to Washington, Keion Brooks can expect a warm welcome from his new college program.
“They have a spot for him,” said Percy Allen, who covers the Huskies for The Seattle Times. “They really do.”
Until Brooks’ announcement, Washington expected next season’s power forward position to be filled by either a junior college transfer or a sophomore who played a total of 11 minutes last season.
“So, they were really looking for somebody,” Allen said. “I think he’ll help them tremendously.”
Washington Coach Mike Hopkins spoke of Washington making an impact.
“We are excited to have Keion join the Huskies,” he said in a news release. “Keion is an elite scorer and defender. He has great size and strength, and brings tremendous experience to our team.”
Hopkins has a history of recruiting players from Brooks’ high school in northern Indiana: La Lumiere. One of Brooks’ high school classmates, Isaiah Stewart II, was a one-and-done player for Washington. He averaged 17 points in the 2019-20 season and now plays for the Detroit Pistons.
Brooks becomes the second Kentucky player to transfer to Washington in recent years. In 2019, Quade Green left UK after two seasons to play for the Huskies.
“Keion gave his best to our program, was loyal, improved every year and was a great teammate,” UK Coach John Calipari said in a social media post on Monday evening. “I have great respect for Washington and will be rooting for them and Keion — unless we have to play them!”
Brooks entered this year’s NBA Draft after averaging career highs of 10.8 points and 24.4 minutes for Kentucky in the 2021-22 season. He also made an impact off the court as a UK player by serving on the NABC Player Development Coalition and the Southeastern Conference’s Council on Racial Equity and Social Justice.
During a telephone interview from the NBA Elite Camp last month, Brooks said it clear his preference was to stay in the NBA.
As for also entering the NCAA transfer portal, he said, “It was just to keep my options. That’s something my agent and my parents and I talked about.”
Brooks said he was “all locked into this NBA process. I don’t plan on going back to school. But you never know what can happen. And when that time comes, we’ll have a conversation about it.
“But you just don’t want to be stuck with one of two options if that were to be the case. Give everybody a chance to recruit me again seemed the right thing to do.”
Brooks also indicated that he was keeping the option of playing a fourth college season as a backup plan. He said he let his family monitor transfer possibilities as he sought feedback from the NBA.
Brooks was not projected as being picked according to various mock drafts. But ESPN basketball analyst Jay BIlas said that many players develop into contributors on the professional level despite not being drafted.
“Keion is a really good player,” Bilas said. “There are guys who are going to be drafted high because they have the potential to be great players and difference-making players on the NBA level.
“And then there are guys who can play in the league and have good productive careers for a long time.”
Bilas characterized Brooks’ role for Kentucky in the 2021-22 season as “a good valuable piece on a really good team. Is he going to be the type of player who’s going to be your leading scorer and get the lion’s share of the shots? No. But he’s also the type of player who can get you 27 (points) at Kansas. And you don’t win that game without him.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 5:48 PM.
