PROVIDENCE — Only a few years ago, Marshon Brooks was the wide-eyed youngster needling the seniors on their last night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Don’t cry, he warned. Be a man.
A few quick years later, Brooks was the senior star preparing for the final home game of his Providence College career. With his mother, Darlyn, by his side, Brooks had trouble not shedding a tear or two as he was introduced to the crowd before Saturday night’s game against Rutgers.
“I wasn’t going to cry but it was my mom,” he said. “All the fellas were watching me. They were saying, ‘You going to cry, you going to cry.’ They were saying that all day.”
After surviving the pre-game emotions, Brooks ended his career in front of the Friar fans a hero. His running, bank shot with 13 seconds left gave the Friars the cushion they needed to cap off a stirring comeback and beat Rutgers, 75-74. Brooks finished with a game-high 28 points.
“They don’t understand. I didn’t understand,” Brooks said of his teammates. “When it’s your night it gets a little emotional. This crowd has been so great to me.”
The crowd paused at one moment and gave Brooks a standing ovation when he drained a second-half 3-point shot. The hoop made him the Big East’s new single-season scoring leader, surpassing ex-UConn great Donyell Marshall. Brooks’ new scoring record is 468 points, for an even 26.0 points a game. That is the second-highest scoring average in PC’s Big East history, trailing only Eric Murdock’s 27.2 average set in 1991.
After the final seconds ticked off the clock, Brooks went to the scorer’s table and grabbed the microphone from Frank Carpano.
“Just to know that the whole state is behind you gets you kind of emotional sometimes,” he said. “They’ve been here through the ups and downs so I just wanted to thank the Friar fans for that. I figured I’d say something to them because I’ll never play here again so I figured they could hear my voice walking out of the arena.”
Losing it on defense
Rutgers coach Mike Rice is extremely emotional on the sidelines, barking at his players and the officials with equal ferocity. While he had to be thrilled with an offense that ripped through the Friars for 74 points on 59 percent shooting (65 percent in the second half), Rice could not hide his disappointment with his team’s defensive effort.
“Maybe they felt because we were scoring in such an easy phase that they didn’t have to defend tonight,” said Rice, whose team finished the regular season 14-16 and 5-13 in the Big East. “The intensity and commitment to defense was pathetic. It’s losing basketball and that’s why we’re a loser team.”
‘Coach’s decision’
PC sophomore guard Duke Mondy remained sidelined for the third straight game against Rutgers. The only thing the school will say about the situation is he is out for a “coach’s decision.”
Mondy did not play at either Marquette or Louisville last week amid concerns that he was involved in a legal situation. However, he has not been charged with any crime by local police. PC refuses to cite any details of Mondy’s situation but he is clearly healthy and ready to play in games.
Scoring greats together
Before the game, Brooks was presented with a commemorative ball to celebrate his Big East record 52-point effort against Notre Dame. Joining Brooks were two all-time great Friars in Eric Murdock and Marvin Barnes. Murdock, who is now the director of player development at Rutgers, held the previous Big East scoring record of 48 points set back in 1991. Brooks tied the school record of 52 points set by Barnes in 1973.
Around the rim
Another star of the past, Austin Croshere, was also on hand. Croshere was inducted into the PC athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night….The Ryan Gomes-led foundation Hoops for Heart Health presented two defibrillators to local organizations during a first-half timeout. The Davey Lopes Center and Providence Country Day School both received the devices, which Gomes hopes will prevent sudden heart attacks by athletes.
kmcnamar@projo.com
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