Prospect Spotlight: Deonnte Brooks (2019)
When St. Pete-Gibbs guard Deonnte Brooks has his mind set on scoring, he sticks to the script.
Whether it be by dribble-drive penetration in the half-court, or seeing an open lane to the cup during the fast break, Brooks can serve it up in a few different types of ways.
Even in his scoring success, he was quick to discuss what he and his team should continue to work on after a 77-63 win over Pinellas Park.
“We need to work hard every day in practice, and we need to work on our defense,” Brooks said. “Push, push. We have to stay down.”
On defense, he can come away with steals of his own. He makes the most out of his minutes on that end. But, like I started off with, the kid can put numbers on the boards.
Fourteen of his 23 total points came in the second half, and all but three came through aggressively attacking the paint. In-transition, Gilliam is great at making the correct pass to his most-open teammate. From the foul line, he went 8-of-12, he knows how to penetrate and draw contact.
Brooks feels like he’s made an effort to work on finishing around the rim. He has no problem penetrating. But in the past, the make has been less guaranteed.
He admitted that he felt like the squad gave up too many points. But after being asked how far the team can go, the optimism shined.
“Sky is the limit,” Brooks said.