Ex-GU guard proud of his Zags
Fourteen years ago, Winston Brooks, then Gonzaga's sure-handed point guard by way of North Idaho College, was busting Cincinnati's full-court pressure in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Now, Brooks, who spent five years with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, is busting wrongdoers as part of Spokane PD's Patrol Anti-Crime Team.
He wasn't patrolling the Lilac City during the Final Four or the national title game, though.
"Oh, I was sure to take those days off," the 38-year-old told The Press on Monday. "The kids went down to (Phoenix for the Final Four), so (the wife) and I could relax and enjoy the games at home."
There probably wasn't much relaxing Monday night, though, as the tense back-and-forth battle ended with North Carolina on top, 71-65, in the national championship game.
In Gonzaga’s 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, Brooks, a 2003 GU grad, witnessed the Bulldogs reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history.
"I am just proud of them and what they've been able to do all year. What they have done for the campus and community. Just seeing those kids running up and down the streets after they won.
“It’s unbelievable what they’ve been able to accomplish this year. It’s just a really good team that has great chemistry.”
Brooks is still involved with the program, and often gets older Zags together to play open gyms with the players on the current roster.
When he first saw Nigel Williams-Goss last summer, the Bulldogs' stalwart guard via the University of Washington, he said he saw something special.
"Nigel is just a born leader," Brooks said of Williams-Goss, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and second-team All-American who played ferociously Monday night. "I remember telling the (former Zags) that they gotta watch this kid, he's going to be unbelievable."
Williams-Goss was one of two McDonald's All-Americans on Gonzaga's 2016-2017 roster; freshman Zach Collins is the other. When Brooks played in the early 2000s, the Bulldogs didn't land those recruiting gems.
"Back then, the coaches really had to hunt, hunt, hunt when recruiting," Brooks said. "Now, Gonzaga has been a destination place for highly ranked recruits and transfers."
Brooks, a Virginia native, played a year at Howard College in Texas before transferring to North Idaho College in 2000-2001 and starring under coach Hugh Watson.
At Gonzaga, the cat-quick Brooks started throughout the 2002-2003 season, helping the Bulldogs earn a WCC title and reach the Round of 32. Top-seeded Arizona tripped up the Zags in a 96-95 double-overtime thriller, ending Brooks' collegiate career.
"It was great to be part of such a program." he said. "And it's great to still be here in a community that supports and embraces you."