Brooks takes lead offensive role

Freshman guard Larryn Brooks said she didn’t receive many offers from big-time colleges out of high school.

So when IU Coach Curt Miller came calling and expressed interest in her, it was hard for her to say no.

“I mean, he’s turned that program at Bowling Green around, and he said he was going to build this one — and I wanted to be a part of that rebuilding program,” Brooks said.

The Richmond, Ky., native is having one of the most prolific seasons in IU women’s basketball history. At 16.8 points per game, she’s on pace to become IU’s all-time highest scoring freshman.

Brooks had offers from Xavier, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech, among others, according to June 2012 story in Louisville’s Courier-Journal.

She chose to play for the Hoosiers because Miller recruited her most strongly.

“I didn’t have too many big colleges after me,” Brooks said. “So once he came along, I was like, ‘It’s Indiana.’ They’re just a basketball state and he was really heavy on me.”

As a senior at Madison Central High School, she averaged 20 points, four assists, four steals and four rebounds per game. It earned her a spot on the Kentucky All-Star team, but she was rated as only a three-star recruit.

During her time with the Kentucky All-Stars, she played in the annual Indiana-Kentucky all-star game. She said she remembers basketball being big in Kentucky going into that game.  

“Kentucky, they’re pretty crazy about it, but it’s nothing like here in Indiana,” she said. “They’re all about basketball, and that’s what I love most about it.”

Becoming the face of a program didn’t happen overnight for Brooks. Her performance against Virginia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge was a start, though.  

She scored 37 points against the Hokies on Dec. 4, 2013. That performance set a single-game freshman record.

“It’s meant a lot. I don’t think I really expected to come in and do this,” Brooks said.
“It’s been pretty nice to have set all these records, but playing with this team has been the best.”

As her outstanding play continued, more specialized game plans were created for Brooks.

Miller said this was what impressed him the most in Big Ten play.

“Each and every night, high-level programs in the big ten generate a scouting report to shut down Larryn Brooks,” he said. “Everything starts with, ‘How do we contain her?’”

Creating a game plan might have been an afterthought considering where Brooks was out of high school.

Despite playing well and putting up solid numbers, scouting organizations and services overlooked her, though she said that doesn’t give her a mentality of having a chip on her shoulder.

“To me, from coaches and other players, they’ve told me I’ve done pretty well and stepped up as a freshman pretty big,” she said. “It’s not really a chip on my shoulder, just wanting to get better everyday.”

Although her game commands serious attention, her attitude is sometimes anything but that.

Freshman forward Lyndsay Leikem said she often provides comic relief for the team.

“She always makes me laugh, and whenever she’s around, she has a way of putting a smile on peoples’ faces, including mine,” Leikem said.

Previously, Miller said he hoped Brooks would be player the community rallies around.

“I think our fans really enjoy watching her energy and watching her ability to score in a variety of ways,” he said. “She’s become a hit with our fan base.”

Follow reporter Stuart Jackson on Twitter
@Stuart_Jackson1.