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HARTFORD -- The basketball talent at the Greater Hartford Pro-Am ranges from professional to Division III, the likes of Kemba Walker, A.J. Price and Jeremy Lamb clashing with Connecticut high school stars of the past decade.
During a Thursday night playoff game, by virtue of a miscommunication or accidental defensive switch, two guys on opposite ends of the Pro-Am spectrum were isolated against each other: One had just completed his seventh season in the NBA, most recently with the Los Angeles Clippers. The other, well, he had spent the past four years at Western Connecticut State University.
Recognizing the obvious mismatch, the offense cleared the left side of the floor, allowing its superstar to attack -- and probably embarrass -- his defender. As he crossed over and hesitated, essentially toying with the situation, the defender retreated and glanced over his shoulder to see if there was help coming. Unfortunately there wasn't, and WestConn alum DaQuan Brooks danced right around NBA veteran Ryan Gomes for his easiest bucket of the night.
There's your mismatch: An NBA forward on a Division III guard. Sounds crazy? Don't tell Brooks.
"I'm trying to make it to the NBA," he says matter-of-factly.
Wait, what?
"Next year, I'm supposed to play in the (NBA) summer league, I'm trying to get into that, and get a few workouts with a few different teams," he continues. "I have to get my first year out of the Division III level so I can get my name out there more."
The law of averages doesn't bode well for Brooks, who stands all of 5-foot-8: Do you know how many guys his size are in the NBA today? There's Earl Boykins (5-foot-5), Nate Robinson (5-foot-9) and Isaiah Thomas (5-foot-9). That's less than one percent of the entire league.
Do you know how many Division III players make it?
"I always try to look that up," Brooks says. "I can never find it."
That's because, right now, there are none.
And, while we're at it, one more question: Do you have any idea how good DaQuan Brooks is?
In a Pro-Am comprised of current and former Division I players, Brooks is far and away the leading scorer. He hit the 50-point plateau twice, and went for a league-high 62 in a game last week. A lefty with a high release, he can spot up from NBA 3-point range, stop on a dime and pull-up, or smoke any defender -- seriously, anyone -- that plays him too closely. He may not be Kemba Walker fast, but he's pretty damn close: Brooks is capable of running full speed with the ball, and he possesses a gear that the rest of the Pro-Am simply lacks.
Brooks, who came to Bristol by way of Atlanta, scored 2,269 career points at WestConn, shattering a record that stood since 1967. He averaged 29.1 points per game as a senior, and scored 45 in the second half -- yes, the second half -- of an NCAA tournament first round victory over Christopher Newport University. He was named the Division III Northeast Player of the Year, a first team All-American and, quite frankly, too many other awards to list.
So, the next logical question: Why the hell was he at WestConn?
Brooks said his SAT scores "did not pass the (NCAA) clearinghouse," and he consequently couldn't qualify for Division I. He settled on WestConn, where he averaged 13.7 points as a freshman. Following a breakthrough sophomore campaign, there was talk that Brooks would transfer to St. John's, but those plans fell through when Red Storm coach Norm Roberts was fired.
"I just decided to finish (at WestConn) and make the best of it," Brooks says.
After his senior season (he was second in the nation in scoring, by the way), Brooks had offers to play in Spain, Germany, Italy, England and Canada. He opted for the National Basketball League of Canada because it's "closer to home."
Like the Pro-Am, the NBL provides Brooks a chance to showcase his ability against better competition: former Big East stars Taliek Brown (UConn) and Carl Krauser (Pitt) played in the league last year. If he gives them the same treatment he gave Doug Wiggins this summer -- one of his 50-point outbursts was against the ex-UConn guard -- the NBL could merely be a stepping stone.
"I always felt I could play with (Wiggins and UConn players); I just didn't really have the opportunity," Brooks says.
In games against pros, Brooks says he "shows spurts."
Like this one: Late in the third quarter Thursday, Brooks caught an inbounds pass at full speed, went the length of the court in a few dribbles before going behind his back to split a pair of defenders and finish at the rim. On the next possession, he absorbed contact in the lane, buried a running jumpshot and the ensuing free throw. Then he hit a spot-up 3-pointer from the corner, quickly followed by a steal and a pull-up 3 from NBA range. It was a one-man 11-0 run in less than two minutes, a "spurt" that would intrigue any team, NBA or otherwise.
The odds are astronomical, and Brooks must know that. Less than one percent of the league is his size. An even smaller percentage has come from the same background (former Lakers small forward Devean George is the only Division III player to make it since 1991). The improbability is overwhelming, but none of the numbers -- not 5-foot-8, not 0.001 percent -- really matter to Brooks. He can score the ball at a truly absurd rate, and he believes he'll get a chance, perhaps as early as next summer.
"I just have to have my game in tip-top shape and I have to be in top physical condition," Brooks says. "So when my name does get called, I'll be ready to make the most of it."
kduffy@newstimes.com; @KevinRDuffy
