Alvin Brooks III Joins Kentucky Men’s Basketball Staff
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alvin Brooks III, regarded as one of the nation’s best assistant coaches, has joined the Kentucky men’s basketball coaching staff as associate head coach it was announced on Thursday.
Brooks spent the last eight seasons as the top assistant for Baylor, the 2021 National Champions. He is a 20-year coaching veteran in the collegiate game.
“Alvin Brooks is a national champion coach, three times over,” UK head coach Mark Pope said. “He is one of the most highly regarded tacticians, recruiters and relationship-builders in all of college basketball. He’s been mentored by some of the great coaches of the game, including Bruce Weber and Scott Drew. He and his wife, Tiffany, and their sons AJ and Austin are going to be a big part of Big Blue Nation and help us bring home No. 9.”
Brooks just completed his eighth season as an assistant at Baylor. 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.
“I am so excited to join Coach Pope and his staff and be a part of the Big Blue Nation,” Brooks said. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to join a storied program, with such a passionate fan base as we chase banners together. My family and I are grateful to Coach Pope and Mitch Barnhart and I can’t wait to get started.”
A Houston native, Brooks began his coaching career at the junior college level. He spent two seasons at Arkansas-Forth Smith, helping the Lions to the 2006 NJCAA Division I championship. He then joined the staff at Midland, where he again was on staff for an NJCAA title team in 2007.
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 the best stretches in school history with 79 wins and NCAA Tournament appearances in two 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 began his own collegiate playing career at Midland College before transferring to Idaho State. He was an Academic All-Big Sky selection as a senior. Brooks graduated from Idaho State in 2002 with a degree in finance. He earned a master’s degree in athletics administration in 2023. He and his wife, Tiffany, have two children, Alvin IV (AJ) and Austin.
He is the son of Lamar head coach Alvin Brooks II. Brooks II was the director of operations under Kentucky’s Billy Gillisipie from 2007-09.
His hiring is contingent on the satisfaction of the University’s pre-employment screenings and other due diligence.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
