On Saturday night, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks had his jersey forever enshrined at his alma mater. The University of California Irvine retired Brooks’ number 12 during halftime of the Anteaters’ 77-56 win over Eastern Michigan.
Despite his self-described “average NBA career,” Brooks was simply a star in college. During his senior year, he led the then-West Coast Conference with 23.8 points per game and ranked second in the nation in 3-pointers at four per game. Brooks’ 43 points against Utah State on the opening night of the Bren Events Center on January 8, 1987 was one of his signature moments as an Anteater It was only fitting that Brooks had his jersey retired in the very building where he truly opened the building with his 43-point performance almost 33 years earlier.