When Al Brooks Jr. transferred from Hansberry to Rich Township, one school of thought was that he could become a legitimate Mr. Basketball candidate in the state.
The Raptors have played a high-profile schedule this season and a deep run in the postseason would help his chances greatly, although junior guard Jayden Williams thinks he’s already there.
“He is Mr. Basketball,” Williams said of Brooks. “There is no possibility — he is.
“He brings energy, defense, scoring … but mostly defense.”
Brooks put on a Mr. Basketball-worthy performance Friday night, stockpiling 26 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and four steals as the host Raptors rolled to a 56-38 Southland Athletic Conference win over Crete-Monee in Richton Park.
Williams added nine points for Rich Township (20-7, 10-1). Nyshawn Turner had five rebounds.
Uriel Chapman came up with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Crete-Monee (18-11, 6-5), which trailed 21-10 at halftime. Rich Township scored the first eight points in the third quarter.
Warriors coach Jawan Nelson then pulled his starters and played the bench the rest of the way. Raptors coach Lou Adams, though, was pleased with how Brooks continues to make all the plays.
“He’s a top talent,” Adams said. “He’s unmatched. And his best basketball is ahead of him.”
The Raptors are guaranteed at least a share of the conference title, which would be the program’s first since Rich East, Rich Central and Rich South merged for the 2020-21 season.
The Raptors host Bloom on Tuesday for a chance to win the conference title outright. Since Jan. 26, Bloom is the only team to beat the Raptors by virtue of a 58-47 decision in Chicago Heights.
“This feels good,” Brooks said. “This would be Rich Township’s first championship. This year has been everything I thought it would be and some more.”
Brooks consistently stuffs the stat sheet, but perhaps his best play against Crete-Monee came with 30 seconds left in the first half and went beyond the numbers.
He saved a ball that was heading out of bounds, with his momentum sending him six rows up into the bleachers. Without breaking stride or running into any spectators, he ran several feet in the bleachers before joining his teammates while the play was still going on.
“I was trying to keep the ball in bounds — that’s it,” Brooks said. “Those are the types of plays that win games.”
The Raptors, who are seeded third in a Class 4A sectional they host behind reigning state champion Homewood-Flossmoor and second-seeded Marist, hope their best is still to come.
Playing a stacked schedule with a few national powers sprinkled in for good measure, Rich Township sputtered in opening the season with a 3-4 record but then downed Kenwood and H-F to win the Big Dipper Classic during the holidays.
Despite back-to-back nonconference losses to Benet and Fenwick and a conference loss to Bloom since the Big Dipper, recent wins over Kankakee, Hillcrest and Thornton have put the Raptors back on track. And Brooks has been a big part of it.
The 6-foot-7 Brooks said when he started high school he wasn’t even 6-0 and played more of a guard role. He credited his father, Al Sr., for his success.
The older Brooks coached Al Jr. and twin brother Ikee at Hansberry.
“Growing up, we were always in the gym with our pops,” Al Jr. said. “He taught me a lot.”
Brooks has offers from Illinois and Eastern Michigan but said his future can be defined as “TBD. To be determined.”
Still, he’s determined to keep playing the sport he loves.
“I love everything about basketball,” Brooks said. “It’s my safe place.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
