ILCC's Brookens signs with Western Illinois
Tue 5-12-2020
ESTHERVILLE – Former Iowa Lakes Community College men's basketball standout Justin Brookens has signed a national letter of intent to continue his career at Western Illinois University.
Brookens was a 5-foot-9 sophomore point guard with the Lakers this past season.
Western Illinois is an NCAA Division I school in Macomb, Ill. and play in the Summit League.
Rob Jeter was recently named head coach of the Leathernecks.
“Committing to Western Illinois was the best fit for me to showcase my talents, develop as a player on and off the court, while being around a good group of guys,” said Brookens. “I'm looking forward to the upcoming season, the challenges that come with it and learning in the process. Iowa Lakes had a big influence on my decision. The philosophy and style Coach Larson and his coaching staff teach is very similar to Rob Jeter’s and I wanted to continue to play in that style.
“Coach Larson and his staff helped me develop a fast pace play style that will translate to any level where I could be successful. They taught me the simple things that could make me a better player on the court and a better person off the court and I appreciate them for that.”
Brookens, a graduate of Milwaukee Vincent High School, 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 as a sophomore.
He helped lead the Lakers to an overall record of 26-6 and an ICCAC record of 13-3.
“JB had a very good year for us,” said Larson “Good to see him rewarded with a Division I scholarship at Western Illinois. They are getting a good player but more importantly a high character student athlete. JB is a gym rat who works exceptionally hard in the gym and classroom. We will miss him at Iowa Lakes but are excited to follow his Division 1 career.”
Brookens averaged 20.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season. Brookens was also second in the country in three-point field-goal percentage, shooting 51.7 % from the perimeter.