Alvin Brooks III Inducted into James E. Taylor HS Hall of Fame
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball associate head coach Alvin Brooks III will be inducted into the James E. Taylor High School Hall of Fame on Thursday.
The Taylor Hall of Fame recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to their profession, field, community, or society in general. This honor is the highest distinguishment a Taylor graduate can achieve.
Brooks, who joined UK’s coaching staff in April as its associate head coach on Mark Pope’s inaugural staff is considered one of the best assistants in the country.
A Houston native, Brooks has 20 years of experience as an assistant coach at numerous collegiate levels and has amassed a 455-219 (68%) record on the sidelines during his career.
He began his coaching career at the junior college level, spending two years as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith (2004-06), where he helped lead the Lions to the 2006 NJCAA Division I championship. He then spent one season at Midland College (2006-07), where he again won the NJCAA Division I championship.
Brooks just completed his eighth season as an assistant at Baylor and was on staff for the 2021 NCAA Championship. The Bears went 194-72 during Brooks’ tenure, including a 94-46 record in Big 12 action, 12-5 in NCAA Tournament games and 22-15 against Associated Press top 10 ranked foes.
Brooks ascended to the Division I level when he joined the staff for three seasons at Bradley as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. From there he also was a part of the Sam Houston State (2010-12) and Kansas State (2012-16) staffs before joining forces with Scott Drew at Baylor in 2016.
At Kansas State, Brooks was a part of one of the best stretches in school history with 79 wins and NCAA Tournament appearances in two of the four seasons. He also played a major role in K-State’s first-ever Big 12 regular-season title in 2012-13, which included the second-most wins (27) and a tie for the most conference victories (14) in school history.
At Baylor, the Bears put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2019-20. BU finished 26-4 and were projected for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the postseason. The Bears posted 23 straight wins and were ranked No. 1 by the AP for five weeks, the longest stretch for one team since Kentucky was the top-ranked team in 19 straight weeks in 2015.
The following season, Baylor earned a No. 1 seed and captured the program’s first national title. BU capped the season with a 28-2 overall record and a 13-1 mark in Big 12 action. Baylor captured a program-record 11 victories over ranked foes and was a perfect 7-0 against teams ranked inside of the top 10. Three players earned All-America honors, along with Davion Mitchell taking home National Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Capitalizing on Baylor’s success, with Brooks playing the lead role as recruiter, BU hauled in the highest ranked recruiting class in program history in 2021 at No. 4 overall by ESPN.
The Bears have had five selections in the NBA Draft, including three-consecutive lottery selections (Mitchell, Jeremy Sochan and Keyonte George) with Brooks on staff.
Brooks was a first-team all-district selection and helped the Mustangs to postseason action during his two-year career at James E. Taylor High School.
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