WVU Sports Hall of Fame
The late Chris Brooks, who holds the school record for career field goal percentage, was a first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference forward during his career from 1988-91 under coach Gale Catlett.
A native of the Bronx, New York, Brooks was the first McDonald's All-American to sign with Mountaineer basketball in 1986 after starring at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. He was considered the nation's fifth-best recruit by the Chicago Sun Times and was also a Parade Magazine All-America choice who arrived at WVU with considerable fanfare.
Brooks was the first big-name, nationally-known New York City recruit to come to WVU in the mid-1980s, opening the door for more Big Apple area standouts to play for the Mountaineers before they joined the Big East in 1995.
After sitting out his freshman season in 1987, Brooks became an immediate starter on West Virginia's NIT squad in 1988, teaming with Darryl Prue and Tyrone Shaw in WVU's frontcourt.
In 1989, the 6-foot-6 forward helped the Mountaineers to a 26-5 record, a first place regular-season finish in the Atlantic 10 and a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Tennessee. He averaged 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.3% from the floor for the 17th-ranked Mountaineers that season.
Brooks only attempted one 3-point shot during his junior year in 1990 at Duquesne, a game winner over the Dukes. One of the most explosive leapers in school history, Brooks' best year statistically came in 1991 when he averaged 16.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting a school-record 66.3% from the floor.
He made 12-of-13 field goal attempts in a game against Marshall in 1990, another school record. Brooks scored a career-high 37 points against Massachusetts on Feb. 12, 1991, and pulled down a career-best 15 rebounds over Old Dominion on Dec. 18, 1990.
Brooks' 1,661 career points rank 12th all-time at WVU while his 755 rebounds rank 15th. He averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 121 career games.
Once his college career ended, Brooks played briefly overseas.
Brooks, born in London, England, died at the age of 54, in January 2021.
