IOWA CITY - Former Iowa Lakes Community College standout Justin Brookens returns to the state as part of a Western Illinois team that opens its season with a nonconference game against Iowa Thursday at Carver Hawkeye Arena.

Pregame coverage on KUOO starts at 6 p.m., with tip off at 7 p.m.

Brookens is a 5-foot-9 junior guard for the Leathernecks. The Hawkeyes are 2-0, with wins over North Carolina Central and Southern.

Brookens is a a graduate of Milwaukee Vincent High School. He joined ILCC last year after one season at Bryant and Stratton College in Buffalo, N.Y.

He was named an NJCAA First Team All-American, First-Team All-NJCAA Region XI member and the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference co-Player of the year with the Lakers. Brookens helped lead Iowa Lakes to an overall record of 26-6 and an ICCAC mark of 13-3.

He averaged 20.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season. Brookens was second in the country in three-point field-goal percentage, shooting 51.7 % from the perimeter.