Real Talk Helps End Garrison Brooks' Slump

Advice from uncle, former coach changes senior's attitude

Senior Garrison Brooks recorded his first double-double of the season against Syracuse, helping lead North Carolina to a win with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Brooks said it was hard to believe it took until January to get a double-double. “I would have thought you were telling a lie from the beginning,” he said. “My teammates really help me. They help me stay focused, be positive, within myself, just something I have to keep working at every day. I don't think my energy was there in the first 12 games. I knew I could play better, I told Sean (May) I was going to play better, I told Coach Rob (Steve Robinson) I was going to play better, I said I'm going to play better it doesn't matter. I drew a line and said I was going to play better to help my team.”

Brooks also credited an adjustment to his attitude, after getting some tough feedback from loved ones.

“Fix your energy, fix your attitude, fix your mindset to the game,” he said. “Doesn't matter if you're scoring, you got to make a difference in one part of the game, it doesn't matter. You have to affect the game in some type of way. I think that I just ended up bringing the energy because I saw the way Day'Ron (Sharpe) played with a lot of energy. My uncle and my AAU coach got on me about not having the right energy, they said if you come out there with energy and passion, the ball will find you and you'll get easy buckets.”