Tag: Aaron Brooks

Illawarra head coach Matt Flinn on first impression of LaMelo Ball: ‘He sleeps, drinks basketball’

Illawarra Hawks head coach Matt Flinn admitted to being surprised by LaMelo Ball upon his first impression of the teenager.

A reoccurring theme among many members of the Illawarra Hawks team and staff that met LaMelo Ball last season was that of surprise. Most people came with an expectation of what Ball was like based on the perception of him through social media, highlight videos and traditional media.

Instead of dealing with a prima donna prospect, Ball proved to be a hard-working, basketball-loving teenager focused on improving on the court and less about off-court matters. During a recent interview with GQ Australia, Hawks head coach Matt Flinn talked about his first impression of Ball.

“The first thing I noticed about LaMelo was just how joyful he was, He sleeps, drinks basketball. That’s his whole world and everything he does. There’s a perception about LaMelo from what you see online but that’s nothing like what you see inside the team group. He enjoys other people succeeding; a lot of people think it’s all about him. It’s not. He’s a really special kid in that way.”

Flinn is one of many who have shared the sentiment. Aaron Brooks, who only spent roughly half a season with the Hawks before going down with injury, talked with TMZ about expecting Ball to be a Kardashian and be pleasantly surprised.

David Andersen had a much more recent interview with ESPN in which he shared the sentiment. He also added that the team was ill-prepared for the LaMelo Ball experience even with his commitment to the franchise.

This preconceived notion is going to be one that Ball fights for the early stages of his career. Between his early highlights at Chino Hills and his father’s abrasiveness, Ball is going to continue to have to face the same assumptions about him and will be forced to continue to prove people wrong.

Aaron Brooks believes LaMelo Ball will succeed in NBA: ‘He wants to be great’

After spending a season with LaMelo Ball in Australia, Aaron Brooks is a firm believer in LaMelo Ball’s bright future in the NBA.

By his own admission, Aaron Brooks did not expect to either be a teammate of LaMelo Ball’s nor did he expect to enjoy the experience. But Brooks admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by his experience with Ball during their handful of games together with the Illawarra Hawks.

Brooks recently detailed what it was like to be a teammate of Ball’s in an interview with TMZSports.

“Just a regular kid, man. I don’t know how he adapts so well. I know at 18, if I had to go through all that, it’d be kind of overwhelming for me. But I think since he’s been a kid, he’s kind of went through it. It doesn’t phase him at all. It’s kind of a lifestyle for him. He, actually, gets through it very well. Kudos to him and his team and what they’ve been doing.”

While Brooks was surprised by Ball off the court, he also was impressed by his willingness to learn on the court and what type of teammate he was during the season.

“He’s a real good guy. Just a real good teammate. Friendly, easy-going. Still trying to learn. Real wet behind the ears. That’s good to have, as a young guy at 18 years old, somebody that’s ready to learn.”

After spending the season with him, even if an abbreviated one, Brooks expects big things from Ball in the future.

“I know he has a lot more improving to do. I know that he’s going to be good because he wants to be good. He wants to be great. I’m just excited for him to get started and hopefully, he lands into a good place that helps him development.”

Brooks certainly has seen and been around enough NBA players young and old to have a well-informed take on how talented Ball is and whether he can make it in the NBA. Brooks spent 10 seasons in the NBA and played with some talented teams in that span, mainly in Houston.

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Aaron Brooks voices support of LaMelo Ball buying Illawarra Hawks: ‘It’s a good business deal’

LaMelo Ball’s pursuit of the Illawarra Hawks has a prominent backer in the form of past teammate Aaron Brooks.

While there have been multiple people directly associated with the Illawarra Hawks and the NBL speak out against the potential of LaMelo Ball buying the franchise, one prominent figure from last season’s team recently backed Ball.

Former Hawks teammate Aaron Brooks, who was the team’s veteran leader before going down with an injury early in the season that ruled him out for the year, voiced his support of Ball buying the franchise in an interview with TMZSports.

“One, it’s a good business deal. The NBL is doing a great job of growing the league and it’s an up-and-coming league. And I think that team is destined for success. That city is hungry for success. Kudos to him for making that big boss move and trying to purchase the team early. Young guys should follow suit. I think it’s just great. It’s a great opportunity for him to invest into a league that is that good.”

Ball’s pursuit of purchasing the Hawks has seen pushback from both a former NBL commissioner and a former player for Illawarra. Both had reservations of different kinds for Ball ranging from how economically beneficial purchasing the club may be to how committed Ball would be.

But no other owner could bring the international recognition that Ball could. And few could offer the potential financial backing Ball could should he have even a semi-successful NBA career of his own.

It’s a calculated risk that Ball, his consortium and the league will have to weigh together before a final decision is made.

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Aaron Brooks on Illawarra teammate LaMelo Ball: I expected him to be a Kardashian

Illawarra Hawks teammate Aaron Brooks admitted to his preconceived notion being wrong about LaMelo Ball before playing with him.

One of the benefits of LaMelo Ball’s time in Australia with the Illawarra Hawks was the valuable experience of playing with fellow professionals. Having one or more mentors, particularly at Ball’s age, can prove vital in the development of prospects.

But one specific player stood out above the rest as a great potential mentor for Ball. Aaron Brooks, a long-time former point guard in the NBA, signed with the Hawks before Ball. While he only played half a season in Illawarra before suffering a torn Achilles, it was more than enough time for Brooks to admit he was wrong about his idea of what Ball was.

In an interview with TMZ, Brooks admitted that his preconceived notion of Ball led to him not wanting to be teammates with the 18-year old.

“I signed with Illawarra before I even knew he was going to be there. I know it came out the opposite way. For me, when I found out he was going to be there, I was like ‘Look, I don’t want to go through that.’ I come from the old school of being with Dikembe Mutombo and Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Now I’m playing with 18-year old, Kardashian kid. That’s what I was kind of (thinking)…I was like ‘Alright, I just want to play basketball.’”

However, Ball quickly endeared himself not just to Brooks but to the team as a whole. His low-profile personality and work ethic left a lasting mark on Brooks, who admitted to being wrong about the youngest Ball sibling.

“What surprised me is he was just like a real cool kid. I would have never known he had that many followers (on social media) unless we went out because he was just one of the guys. He had a roommate just like everybody else. He traveled with the team like everybody else. He was just one of the regular guys. When I said we needed to go get some extra work in, he was ready to go get some extra work in. When we had extra running to do, he did extra running. At 18, when I say there’s guy that got drafted in Houston and they were rookies and they were 21 and had less accolades than him and were bigger assholes, for him to be the way he was was surprising to me. Just a good kid, man.”

Ball’s work ethic is something that Hawks head coach Matt Flinn noted quickly on after having Ball join the team. And, similar to Brooks, Flinn seemed surprised by Ball given what the narrative surrounding him is.

Still, though, many see Ball as a Kardashian-esque figure with a ton of popularity and a work ethic that doesn’t match. It’ll be another narrative he’ll likely have to break once entering the league as Ball continues to disprove the Kardashian-based notion.

Today in history: Yao shoots 100% as Rockets rout Blazers in Game 1

Yao Ming had 24 points on perfect shooting, while Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 27 as Houston shocked Portland in the 2009 playoff opener.

It was 11 years ago today when All-Star center Yao Ming made all nine of his shots in the 2009 playoff opener, leading his Houston Rockets to a 108-81 win (box score) in Game 1 of the 2009 playoffs at Portland.

The 7-foot-5 big man had 24 points and and a game-high nine rebounds, while point guard Aaron Brooks led the Rockets with 27 points (5-of-8 shooting on 3-pointers) and seven assists. Luis Scola and Ron Artest added 19 points and 17 points, respectively, in the blowout victory.

Yao also made all six of his free throws, making it a perfect shooting game for the future Hall of Famer.

Limited by strong defense from the likes of Artest and Shane Battier, Portland stars Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 28 points on just 13-of-35 shooting (37.1%).

The teams entered that first-round series evenly matched on paper, with the No. 4 Trail Blazers (54-28) finishing just one game ahead of the No. 5 Rockets (53-29) in the 2008-09 regular season.

The Game 1 victory — which can be seen below in its entirety — ultimately proved crucial, since the home team won every other game in the series. By virtue of taking that Game 1 on the road, the Rockets were able to close out the Blazers with a 92-76 home win in Game 6.

That represented the first series victory for the Rockets in the NBA playoffs since the 1996-97 season, which was over a decade earlier.

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Today in Rockets history: Aaron Brooks caps career scoring year

On March 17, 2010, Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 31 points and made all seven of his 3-pointers in a big win at home over Memphis.

The 2009-10 season was a memorable one for undersized point guard Aaron Brooks. In his third NBA campaign, Houston’s first-round pick from the 2007 NBA Draft broke out with career highs of 19.6 points (39.8% on 3-pointers) and 5.3 assists in 35.6 minutes per game.

With former All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady combining to play only six games due to injury before McGrady was traded away at the league’s February deadline, Brooks played a key role in Houston exceeding its post-injury expectations and finishing with a winning record (42-40).

For the lightning-quick 6-foot-0 guard out of Oregon, it was a game 10 years ago on March 17, 2010, that was among his most memorable.

In a 107-94 victory (box score) over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies (36-33), Brooks made all seven of his attempted 3-pointers and scored a game-high 31 points — leading his Rockets (35-31) to a convincing win over the Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Rudy Gay-led Grizzlies.

Brooks connected on 11-of-14 shots (78.6%) overall, and he also had five rebounds and four assists in his 36 minutes.

Now 35 years old, Brooks has seemingly retired after tearing his Achilles in October 2019 during a game in Australia. In all, he played 12 professional seasons, including parts of six different seasons in Houston.

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(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments in franchise history. We’ll have more of our Rockets Rewind series coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)