INDIANAPOLIS — It's a special day for Baylor University, its players and coaches as the Bears get ready o play in their first Final Four since 1950. It will be even more special for assistant coach Alvin Brooks III.
When he looks down the line on Saturday at the University of Houston bench, he will see his father there, Alvin Brooks II, who is an assistant for the Cougars.
"Obviously meeting up at the final four is a blessing," Brooks III said.
His father, the former head coach at Houston in the 90s and now a long-time assistant, is the reason that he even got into college coaching. Despite not really hanging around the gym where his dad would coach, Brooks III decided to pursue the profession himself despite being in the world of finance.
“When I called him to be a coach, he actually told me no," Brooks II said. "[He said] 'Call him back in two weeks, so, he’s definitely allowed me to make my own path.'”
Despite his dad having connections in the college and NBA realm, he wanted Brooks III to figure it out on his own. Brooks III's mother passed when his son was just 18, but she swore her grandson would follow in his father's footsteps.
“My mother, when she passed l was 18, always said ‘Al’s going to be a coach. He’s going to be a college coach and he’s going to be a good college coach,'" Brooks II said.
After that call, Brooks III thought he had it made, but his dad was going to make him work for it.
"Those two weeks I went and watched almost every Seattle Sonics practice and every game until he called me and said, ‘I think you may have an opportunity to go to junior college.’ And I said, ‘Junior college? You’re at Texas A&M, why can’t I go with you.'"
Now the two are best friends and both of their coaching careers have panned out to be successful. On Sunday, one of them will get to add a notch to their belt with a trip to the National Championship.
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