GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mother's Day was a day of celebration for Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard.
That's because he landed a commitment from Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior point guard Durral "Phat Phat" Brooks on Sunday.
In case you were wondering wear that nickname comes from, Brooks explained back to 13 ON YOUR SIDE in 2022 it's because he was a "fat baby."
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound high school star had offers from a few schools including Michigan State, Butler, Dayton, Western Michigan, Toledo and Grand Valley State. However, he will be spending his college days just a couple hours away from home in Ann Arbor.
Michigan assistant coach Saddi Washington was seen at several of Brooks' games during his junior season. His recruiting efforts paid off.
According to 247sports, Brooks is the top ranked player in the state of Michigan. Overall, Brooks is a three-star recruit and ranked 127th nationally in the class of 2024.
Brooks averaged 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game for the Cougars last season. Those numbers helped Brooks become named first-team all-state by the Associated Press.
This move of course means the pipeline from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor is still going strong. Former Wolverines star Kobe Bufkin just declared for the NBA Draft. Bufkin is a Grand Rapids Christian High School graduate.
There are now two commits to Howard in the class of 2024. Brooks joins fellow point guard Christian Anderson. The three-star guard plays high school basketball at Lovett High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
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