MSU's Pierre Brooks reveals transfer destination via Instagram
Michigan State sophomore wing Pierre Brooks is headed to the state of Indiana for his next college destination, but he won't be playing in the Big Ten Conference.
On Easter Sunday, Brooks revealed that he was committing to Butler out of the transfer portal. He will be immediately eligible to play for the Bulldogs next season.
Brooks chose to enter the transfer portal back following his sophomore season with the Spartans in 2022-23. At Butler, he'll join a Big East program led by former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta, who coached the Buckeyes from 2004 through 2017.
In his first season at Butler, Matta led the Bulldogs to a 14-18 record in 2022-23. Matta was hired to replace former Michigan assistant LaVall Jordan. One of the better known mid-major programs in the country, Butler has not reached the NCAA Tournament in five seasons.
"I would love to thank MSU for the opportunity to be on an amazing program these last two years," Brooks wrote in a farewell post on Instagram back on March 29. "I have built a long lasting relationship with my teammates, coaches, and fans and I will always be grateful.
"Spartan Nation, I am thankful for everything that you guys have done and all the support that you have given me through these past 2 years. I want to also thank Coach Izzo for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to play for this amazing university."
With Tyson Walker officially announcing his return, Michigan State currently has 11 scholarship players on its roster for 2023-24. The Spartans are still awaiting a decision from senior Malik Hall, who has the option to return to East Lansing for a fifth year. Hall would be MSU's 12th scholarship player should he choose to return.
Brooks, a native of Detroit, was named the state of Michigan's 'Mr. Basketball' as a high school senior in 2021. He was a member of MSU's recruiting class that year alongside Max Christie and Jaden Akins. After Christie declared for the NBA after just one season in East Lansing, Akins is now the only player still on the Spartans' roster from the 2021 class.
Brooks played in 30 games this past year for MSU, making five starts after Michigan State suffered injuries to Jaden Akins and Malik Hall early in the year. Brooks averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.3 minutes played per game.
While Brooks was heavily involved in the Spartans' rotation during the first two months of the season, his role decreased in late December and January as Big Ten play began in earnest. The sophomore struggled on the defensive end of the floor, which drew the ire of head coach Tom Izzo.
Izzo coaches his players hard, and Brooks was on the receiving end of several heated challenges from the 28-year veteran. Early in the year, Brooks was also benched for the entirety of a first half which Izzo said was the result of "tardiness".
As the season progressed, Brooks' seemed to lose confidence and that affected his jumpshot. The sophomore opened the season 22-for-54 on 3-point shot attempts through Jan. 3, a sizzling 40.7 percent from deep. However, he went on to miss his next 10 3-point attempts and would shoot just 2-for-20 from distance for the remainder of the year.
Brooks saw his role practically disappear by the end of February and into March, as he averaged just 3.6 minutes per game in Michigan State's final four regular season games and in the Big Ten Tournament. Brooks did not appear in any of the Spartans' NCAA Tournament games.
