Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston played their high-school basketball overlooking “Arch Madness” from both sides of the river.
Brooks was a three-sports star at Jennings High School while Hairston was a basketball standout at Belleville East from the rugged Southwestern Conference.
Hairston once played on the same elementary team with Portland Trailblazer Darius Miles from neighboring East St. Louis Senior High. Hairston, who grew up in East St. Louis, has developed into one of the premier shooting guards in the country while locking up the opposing team’s best offensive player on most nights.
Hairston and his backcourt partner Brooks are among the leaders in the country in steals, and rebounds for guards. To top that off, both have been name to the All Missouri Valley Conference All Defensive Teams throughout their careers. Brooks, the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, was also just named the MVC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Stetson, who averages 9.8 points, does not have to score overnight with Tatum and Brooks lighting it up for the four-time Valley Champs. But the little things he does n rebounding, steals, assists, hustle plays n make him an exceptional player.
Hairston’s path to “Little Egypt,” as some call the city of Carbondale because of its rich heritage in Southern Illinois, was a surprise to some. He went through a lot of unnecessary scrutiny before going to a prep school in Maine and attending Southern Illinois. Hairston had previously committed to the University of Evansville. However, that didn’t work out for the Purple Aces, and boy did it work out for the Dogs.
Darren Brooks was an athlete who had options in football, basketball and, his best sport n yes, his best sport n baseball! Redshirting his freshman year, Brooks has become one off the Dogs’ all-time greats both on and off the court.
Brooks pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. his freshman year, and he stopped working as hard on his basketball and his studies. After some tough love from his family and those close to him and the pledging was over, things started to fall into place once again. Not only is he a college graduate, he finished last year, in 2004.
In addition to Brooks’ Valley honors for defense and Player of the Year, he also was named one of the top players in the Midwest, joining the likes of Dee Brown of Illinois and Wayne Simeon of Kansas, which automatically gives him consideration for All-American honors.
He already on NBA radar screens everywhere.
If you think that this pair of Dogs shouldn’t be considered the best ever, check out their 4-year resumé:
*55-1 home record with the lone loss in overtime to Charlotte. Ask Brad Soderberg how good they are.
*Both with over 100 wins in 4 years as Salukis
*Four Valley Championships
*Four NCAA Tournament Appearances (including a Sweet 16)
*Three different Head Coaches (Weber, Painter, Lowery)
*Both with 1,000-plus points
*Numerous Missouri Valley post-season honors
These two young men have been the recipe for success for the Salukis. Both wanted to stay home and play for the local team, but that did not materialize. What did happen was one of the most successful eras in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The No. 1 seed Salukis will open play in the MVC Postseason Tournament on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. at the Savvis Center.