Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball program got some encouraging news about the makeup of next year’s roster on Wednesday afternoon. Veteran point guard Eli Brooks will be back in Ann Arbor for the 2021 season.
According to an official announcement from the program’s Twitter account, Brooks will use his extra year of eligibility to play for Michigan next fall. The senior reportedly met with Howard and decided that he wanted to return to the Wolverines for one final season.
The news of Brooks’ return should be well-received by Michigan. The 6-foot-1 guard has started 57 games for the Wolverines over the last two seasons and has played an important role as the team’s floor general throughout his time in Ann Arbor.
During the 2020-21 season, Brooks averaged 9.5 points, 3.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 45.1 percent on over four three-point attempts per contest, proving to be one of the most reliable sharpshooters in the Big Ten. Brooks also served as a captain, which is a role he’s likely to take on again next year.
📰 SPECIAL ROSTER NEWS 📰
Simply put …
A CAPTAIN IS BACK!Taking advantage of the NCAA’s one-time rule in response COVID-19, Eli Brooks met with Coach Howard & accepted the additional year to return for the 2021-22 season!#GoBlue 〽️🏀#ForCompetitorsOnly pic.twitter.com/GMDLq9wquL
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) April 14, 2021
Brooks coming back for another year helps to lessen the blow of other Michigan departures this offseason. Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown already announced their intentions to play professional basketball, while breakout freshman Franz Wagner and senior forward Isaiah Livers are also expected to declare for the NBA Draft.
All of the aforementioned players will be major losses for a Michigan team that excelled last season. The Wolverines went 23-5, earning a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Elite 8 in Juwan Howard’s first season at the helm.
However, Michigan will be hard-pressed to duplicate that success with all of the roster turnover the program has had this spring. Howard and Brooks will have their work cut out for them to keep the Wolverines competitive in the Big Ten next year.
The post Eli Brooks Announces Decision On Future At Michigan appeared first on The Spun.
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