Commitment Report: Carter Brooks (2016)
October 29th Update Carter Brooks picked up several NSIC offers and he’s had some D1 programs come into town to check him out. The Lakeville North Panther just started to hit his stride last March and continued that play into…
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Continue ReadingOctober 29th Update
Carter Brooks picked up several NSIC offers and he’s had some D1 programs come into town to check him out. The Lakeville North Panther just started to hit his stride last March and continued that play into the spring and summer with Minnesota Select.
The decision he really had to make was if he wanted to go two to four hours away to another NSIC program? Did Carter want to go out of state to play D1? Or did he want to stay local? This weekend he decided to stay local.
“I chose Concordia-St. Paul for a lot of reasons,” Brooks explained. “I had such a strong connection with all the coaches there! They came to every single open gym of mine since the beginning of September/
“I talked to Coach Joey James like twice a week for about four months which is how I got to know him so well. He really helped me understand the importance I am to their team and program and just made me feel very wanted by them!”
The players on the CSP roster is another reason that Carter decided to be a Golden Bear.
“I also really loved all of the players they had there, especially Jon Sebaski. Me and him would text all the time to just to see what's up and that made me feel like this was the right place to go.
“I also got to know the other commits Sam Siganos and Ted Brown really well and their really cool dudes! It's also very close to home too so that makes it easier to see my family a lot and they could come to most of my games!”
Brooks is now focused on getting Lakeville North back to the state tournament for the fifth straight year.
October 21st Update
Carter Brooks continues to develop by the day and he continues to hear from new schools seemingly every day. The 6-foot-5 scoring wing is still open and we think he is on the verge of a big senior year. There will be many schools watching him closely.
“I took officials to Minnesota-Duluth, Concordia-St Paul, Minnesota State-Mankato, and I'm going on an official to Moorhead state this weekend,” said Brooks last week.
“I really like Concordia-St. Paul because of the location and I have a really strong connection with all the coaches especially Coach (Joey) James. The players at Concordia are all really cool too!
“Mankato was awesome too because of the huge arena they play in and I liked Head Coach (Matt) Margenthaler a lot too as well as the players.”
There are some division one schools who continue to talk to Brooks.
“I also heard from Cal State Fullerton and Nebraska-Omaha. Cal State Fullerton came and watched me workout with Mitch (Ohnstad) which was really cool! They said that they were going to be talking to me a lot.
“I haven't decided if I'm going to commit before the fall signing or not, just depending on if I feel like I'm ready or not yet.”
The Lakeville North Panthers have big expectations this winter. There is Cal Pesola back on the wing, David Lindstrand returning as one of the hardest working guards in the state, Trevor Schermann is an up and comer, the experienced Drew Stewart returns, junior Nathan Reuvers and his 14 division one offers, and of course Brooks on the wing.
“I'm so excited for the season to start, but at the same time I like the building up time to the season because I know as soon as the season starts, it's going to go by so fast,” said Brooks.
“Our biggest challenge will probably be for us to all play well together as a team! We have seven or eight really good players on our team which shows that we can be really good as long as no one is too selfish of a player.
“I need to make sure I'm a good leader for our team so that we can be as successful as possible.”
August 12th Update
Carter Brooks of Lakeville North heads a senior class that knows a lot about winning and success. Cal Pesola, David Lindstand, Trever Schermann, Drew Stewart, Jon Ruevers, Brooks, and others, they have been winning games together for a long time.
This group was also excellent all spring and summer with their teams. Pesola was a headliner for a WOTN team that had a great year, Schermann played a worker role on the top Fury squad, Lindstrand moved himself into a key role with Select, and then of course Brooks has made himself into a top senior scoring option in the 2016 class.
“My confidence as a player has improved greatly,” said Brooks. “I can play with high level players and my ability to get to the rim and finish has definitely improved as well.”
Brooks has flourished under Coach John Oxton and then Coach Mitch Ohnstad since moving into the main scoring role in March. Carter’s performance pushed to a higher level with his Grassroots experience.
“My overall experience with Minnesota Select was a blast getting to know the players on my team and Coach Mitch Ohnstad” said Brooks. “The tournaments were always fun win or lose.”
Take that senior group and add in 6-foot-9 junior Nathan Reuvers who has double figure division one offers entering his junior campaign. That gives this team toughness, depth, size, scoring, and toughness again.
“I’m excited about my senior year because we have lots of players with talent returning and we have a great chance at making it back to state,” Brooks said.
Carter has received offers from Minot State, Concordia-St. Paul, and the University of Mary so far and he plans on visiting all of them soon. There are also a couple D1 schools still talking to Brooks and he will see them soon too.
“I’m going to visit the University of Sioux Falls, Minot State, and the University of Mary this week and I visited North Dakota State last week and I’m going to the University of South Dakota next week.”
July 15th Update
There has been a progression with Carter Brooks of Lakeville North and Minnesota Select. Here is how it’s gone in 12 months:
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Played up on an a Grassroots team last year and the potential was seen
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Showed up at the NHR combine and the prospect status was immediately evident: long, the right height, another level of agility and athleticism, improved skill
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Impact player for Lakeville North as a junior early in the year
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Named to the five man South Suburban All Defensive Team
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Stepped up in the absence of Connor Flack during the playoff run and led the team to the state semi-finals
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Was the Panther at state that could create his shot against the best in Minnesota
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Main scoring role for Minnesota Select getting college interest at D1 and D2 levels.
That is Carter Brooks in the last 12 months and it’s been quite a progression. Averaged 9.4 points per game behind the 18 of Flack during the regular season but put up 15 points a game at state. Now Brook is averaging double figures a game for Select and Coach Mitch Ohnstad.
“Things are going great with Minnesota Select and I’m having lots of fun playing,” said Carter. “Mitch has helped me so much with my jumpshot and my handle and just my overall confidence as a player.”
“Being able to take guys off the dribble and push through contact is something I am focused on improving, that and my three point shooting,” said Brooks. “I hope to be successful in the next couple tournaments and to receive more offers and hopefully a division one offer.”
Carter has added NSIC offers recently from Minot State and Concordia-St. Paul.
“It was great to know that coaches have recognized my hard work and it’s nice to feel like you’re wanted by a coach and its program,” Carter said.
Brooks isn’t done by a long shot getting offers. He has a nice list of schools that will continue to follow him through the summer and into the fall.
“Sioux Falls, Winona State, the University of Mary, Minnesota-Duluth, Briar Cliff, South Dakota, North Dakota State, and Northern Iowa are the most recent teams to show interest and Concordia-St. Paul just offered a scholarship,” said Brooks.
Brooks is in Los Angeles this week with his Select team and will then play in Las Vegas to finish up the Grassroots year.
Update from 4/22/15 by Alex Conover
The state tournament is a big, big stage. Carter Brooks took full advantage of that.
The Lakeville North 2016 prospect did very well at the state tourney, as Lakeville made another run. They didn’t win the title like last year, but guys like Carter Brooks gained valuable experience along with some attention from the next level.
“Yeah, the recruiting pretty much started in the last month,” Brooks said. “The D2s (that have reached out) include Augustana, Sioux Falls, Wayne State, St. Cloud State, Northern State, and UM-Duluth. The D1s include Air Force and the University of South Dakota, whom I have talked to on the phone as well.”
Brooks is a 6-foot-5 wing who can score inside, outside, and in-between. He impressed me by scoring five of his team’s first six baskets in the Battle of the Lakes 17U title game, all of which were contested in the paint. Add in a good shot-blocking instinct, and he’s got a great formula for a D2/D1 wing prospect. He thanks his coach, Mitch Ohnstad, for working with him on footwork and technique, as well.
“I’d like to show more consistency in my game, and for my AAU team to be one of the best teams in the state by the end of the season,” Brooks said. “I also want to get bigger by going to the gym a lot and working on my weaknesses. If everything goes well, I hope to play in college at the next level, which has always been my dream.”
Catch Brooks with Minnesota Select Ohnstad as soon as this weekend at the NY2LA event.