The college careers of some talented basketball players from the St. Louis area came to an end last weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Former Jennings High star Darren Brooks finished his career at Southern Illinois with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Salukis’ 85-77 loss to Oklahoma State in the second round of the Chicago Regional in Oklahoma City.
Last Sunday marked the last time that Brooks will wear the No. 1 uniform for the Salukis as a collegian. It is my hope that it will be the last time that number is ever worn by a member of the Southern Illinois University basketball team.
The next time I get down to Carbondale to see the Salukis in action, I hope to see that No. 1 jersey hanging in the rafters rather than on some other player’s body. The impact of Darren Brooks, along with fellow seniors Stetson Hairston (Belleville East), Josh Warren (Borgia) and Lamar Owen will not be forgotten for many generations.
With his smooth style and old-school game, Brooks ended his career in the top 10 in several categories. However, his greatest impact comes in the winning and postseason awards. Brooks became the only player in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference to win the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year Award for two consecutive years.
Brooks was a stalwart of the Salukis’ teams that won 106 games, four consecutive MVC regular season titles, went to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won three NCAA Tournament games, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2003.
It’s plain and simple. Darren Brooks’ jersey at Southern Illinois should be retired.
David Lee, Dionnah Jackson done
Meanwhile, other St. Louisans came up big in their last games.
* Chaminade’s David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Florida’s 76-65 loss to Villanova in the second round of the Syracuse Regional. In the Gators’ first-round victory over Ohio University, Lee had 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. Lee finished the season leading the Gators in rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage.
* Parkway West product Dionnah Jackson scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds for Oklahoma in the Sooners’ 72-69 loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in Knoxville. Jackson ended the season averaging 14.8 points, 8.5 rebounds with a team-high 177 assists and 65 steals.
Jackson enjoyed a full career with the Sooners. As a freshman, she was a key member of OU’s powerful team that advanced to the national championship game against Connecticut. As a junior in 2004, Jackson was the Most Valuable Player of the Big XII Conference Tournament after leading the Sooners to the championships. She also had her high school number at Parkway West retired during the season. Well done, D.J.
Curtis Marshall comes home
One area athlete who still has a chance to compete in the Final Four in his home town is McCluer North graduate Curtis Marshall of Texas Tech. The 6’5″ Marshall is a senior reserve for the Red Raiders, who advanced to the Sweet 16 with victories over UCLA and Gonzaga. If Texas Tech can defeat West Virginia tonight and either Louisville or Washington on Saturday, he will end his career at the Edward Jones Dome in the Final Four. How about that?
Last swish for Sonya
The stellar career of Hancock High’s Sonya Daugherty ended on a high note as she led the Tigers to a 55-54 victory over Springfield Catholic in the third-place game of the Missouri Class 3 girls state tournament in Columbia. In her last game, Daugherty finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Before Daugherty entered Hancock, the Tigers were hard-pressed to win more than three games in a single season. In Daugherty’s four seasons, the Tigers finished with a 95-17 record, which included the school’s first ever two trips to the Final Four of the state tournament.
Daugherty’s individual numbers are even more eye-popping. She concluded her career with 2,603 points, 903 rebounds, 364 assists and 560 steals. In the 99 games she played, she averaged 26.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 5.6 steals.
“She was such a great player for us,” said Hancock coach Mitch Fusco. “She accomplished a lot to get us to state. Everything we did started with her.”
Daugherty has already been offered a scholarship by Southeast Missouri State, but an assistant coach from the University of Missouri was on hand to watch both of her games in Columbia over the weekend.
Metro 7 points short
The Metro girls’ quest for a state championship fell one game short as the Panthers were defeated by Clopton 57-50 in the Class 2 state title game. Junior guard Lauren Witherspoon led the Panthers with 15 points, followed by sophomore Brittany Dodson with 14 and 11 points and eight rebounds from senior Dana Loveless. Metro defeated Crest Ridge in the semifinals behind 18 points from senior Deidra Dace.
The Panthers will graduate some excellent players in three-year starters Dace, Loveless and Rhyan Robinson, but Metro is clearly established as one of the top small-school powers in the state. Under the direction of head coach Gary Glasscock, the Panthers have compiled an 81-11 record, including two trips to the state championship game in the past two seasons.
