Brooks was born in St. Louis, Missouri to parents Jacqueline, who is a real estate agent, and Thomas, who works for Boeing.
The Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks tried to persuade him to play pro baseball, but he decided to stick with basketball.
During his 1999–2000 senior season, he averaged 25.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and guided his school to a 26–8 record where they lost in the state's 3A semifinals.
[1] Brooks entered SIU in 2000–01 and played in two total games during his freshman season before redshirting the remainder of the year.
He did not disappoint, leading SIU to their fourth consecutive regular season Missouri Valley Conference championship.
[1] On the year he was in the conference's top five in several major per-game statistical categories, including steals (1st), assists (5th) and points (5th).
When Brooks graduated in 2005, he had become one of the most decorated men's basketball players in Missouri Valley Conference history.
[1] Brooks also won more games in a Saluki uniform than any other player in school history, and his guidance in their four consecutive regular season conference championships has not been duplicated.
He appeared in 23 games and was part of the championship-winning Thunderbirds—their lone championship title before disbanding—as they defeated the Fort Worth Flyers in the one-game final.
[6] The following year, Brooks traveled to Australia to play for the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League.
[5] In May 2007, he temporarily signed with Atléticos de San Germán of Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional, appearing in only nine games.