Sean Brooks started his basketball career at Drexel with bright promise. But four minutes into his career with the Dragons, his future was in question.
The 6-foot-6, 250 pound forward spent the first seven games of his freshman season fighting for playing time. He finally got on the floor against La Salle.
But soon after his collegiate debut, he suffered a season-ending foot injury that sent him back to the end of the bench.
Four years later, after he was granted a medical redshirt and given an additional year of eligibility, Brooks is now the inside force on a Drexel team picked to contend for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.
Much is expected of Brooks after being named to the first-team all-conference preseason team, along with teammate Phil Goss. Last year he increased his scoring average by more than 10 points to lead the team with 14.4 points per game.
"He was huge for us," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "He was able to step in and do some good things for us, especially since we lost [Robert] Battle. Battle was our all-conference player -- pretty dominant player.
"We didn't know what to expect. He came in and played really well. He took on Battle's role and is now one of the top players in the conference."
In fact, Brooks' season looks similar to that of the former 6-8, 230 pound Dragons star. Battle averaged 15.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in his senior season.
Along with his 14.4 point per game average, Brooks also tallied 5.9 rebounds per game in his fourth year, with a 59.7 field-goal percentage that was 11th in the nation. While not as big of a defensive presence as former Colonial Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Battle, Brooks' return should help his team immensely.
The year Brooks returned from his foot injury, he averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 boards per game, and shot 53 percent from the floor. In 2002-03, Brooks took a small step backwards when his season averages fell to 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. His field-goal percentage also dropped to a career-low 45.7 percent.
But after earning a starting position last season, Brooks blossomed into the player he is today.
It all culminated in Drexel's final game of last season, an NIT matchup against Villanova, where Brooks had 24 points.
But he was sidelined by injury during that game. Villanova came back from 10 points down in the second half to win, 85-70, and advance in the tournament.
"We had our chances against 'Nova last year," Flint said. "We didn't have enough guys. Sean went down for the second half, and that really hurt us."
Flint is optimistic about the season, with Brooks returning as a starter for Drexel. An experienced team should help the Dragons contend for a CAA title. The Dragons received five first place votes in the CAA preseason poll and start the season picked to finish second.
"This is the first year that we have people thinking we can contend for the CAA championship," Flint said. "We've been picked for second or third the past few years, we now have a chance to win it all.
"Sean, Phil and the other seniors have been together for four years. It's the time for us to step up and try to make the NCAA Tournament."
