Aaron Brooks Steps Into Spotlight For The Houston Rockets

Three years ago, Aaron Brooks was a troubled junior point guard at the University of Oregon.  After being kicked out of a Pacific-10 tournament game against Washington for intentionally elbowing Ryan Appleby in the face.  Now he is running one of the premier teams in the Western Conference. 

Brooks was a Mcdonald's All-American coming out of Seattle's Franklin High School and chose to play his college ball at Oregon. Brooks came in with high expectations but failed to deliver through his first three years.

Brooks would be seen arguing with coach Ernie Kent during games, choosing to run what he felt like instead of what the coach wanted. After the ejection in the Pac 10 tournament and a major change in his personal life things would change for Brooks.

After his junior season, Brooks and his wife Tisa had their first child. This seemed to flip a switch in Brooks' personal life and his game as he approached basketball much differently then he had before.

The young kid who used be selfish and play out of control had disappeared and a new more mature Brooks stepped to the forefront.

Brooks led the Ducks to a 23-7 record his senior season that included a Pac 10 Tournament title and a run to the Elite Eight. Thought undersized, he felt he could make it at the next level.

At the 2007 NBA Draft the Houston Rockets selected Brooks in the first round at No. 26 overall. Brooks immediately made it known that he was the real deal.

He got his first professional action in the summer league following the draft, averaging 21 points and five assists while shooting 41 percent from behind the three point line.

Heading into the 2008 season, Brooks had played a good amount as a rookie and was able to learn from a veteran in Rafer Alston. Brooks playing time increased throughout the season until a couple of weeks ago when Alston was traded to Orlando at the trade deadline. Brooks was elevated to the starting job and has not looked back.

After an intentional elbow and the birth of his first child, Brooks has grown into a mature person as well as a mature player. Expect to see Brooks as the main ball handler for the Rockets long into the future.