It’s a common phrase, probably because it contains some truth, but college coaches like to remind people that recruiting is the lifeblood of a program.
Getting good players has always been and always will be important. It’s not the only indicator of success, but it is high on the list.
Because of this, when Travis Steele opened this off-season to his men’s basketball coaching staff at Xavier University, Travis Steele decided to take a different route to filling the position by hiring the Musketeers’ first recruiting director.
Steele was looking for someone in the college basketball world with a steady pulse in the recruiting industry and basic connections at the high school and AAU levels.
He went to see Jordan Brooks.
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“Surprisingly, when the position came up, Steele actually contacted me and we talked for a while and the rest was history,” said Brooks.
Brooks had five seasons assistant coaching experience in Division I. And prior to coaching at Howard University and Southeastern Louisiana University, Brooks was heavily involved in the AAU circuit in the Washington, DC area where he grew up .
“He’s very connected,” Steele said of Brooks. “He has these great relationships on the east coast. We want to be able to use these relationships that he has with high school coaches and AAU coaches. He will definitely help us in the recruiting room, we have to be on it. “
This part will be high on Brooks’ to-do list.
“What the manager is really getting me into, what he really wants is for me to take a look at these subclass members … get a handle on the class of 2023 and who the players are in 2024,” Brooks said. “And to make the employees aware of who these players are. Because with the class (2022), your main focus at the moment is on the class of assistant coaches. So the coach wants me to focus on who the players are in the class 2023 and 2024 so we can get a head start and get started right away. “
Brooks’ position has grown in importance recently as many high level programs have chosen to have a human resources position dedicated to recruiting. It speaks of the importance of the post and how valuable it can be to a program.
“Players, these are your lifelines and you want to provide the best players and I think when you have the best players now, it’s your job to develop them,” said Brooks. “I think a lot of schools take this approach because my philosophy is that you have to have good players to fight for championships. I think that could be one reason why people have a recruiting director who can actually focus and perform, record who the players are and the relationships to get really good guys to school. “
Brooks has responsibilities beyond recruiting and the organization that goes with it. He will also work with the current players on the roster on a personal and character development area. And he’s going to help scout opponents throughout the season, and Brooks will have coaching duties on the bench in the game.
Brooks joined Xavier’s employees earlier this month as the recruitment period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was lifted and communications with the class could begin in 2023.
It’s been a busy start to his time at Xavier, but Brooks is well equipped to deal with it.
“I’m definitely a grinder,” said Brooks, “a super hard worker. This is the game I love and work for Trainer Steele. He’s a great guy and the history and tradition of the Xavier program speak for itself. I” I am very happy to be a part of it. I’m ready to take off and I did it. I’ve been non-stop because I want to be successful with this program. “
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