Roundtable: Alvin Brooks III joins the staff

According to numerous reports today, Kentucky is set to hire Alvin Brooks III away from Baylor, where he has been an accomplished recruiter and an important member of Drew's staff since the 2016 season.

Here are takes from Cats Illustrated writers on what it means for Mark Pope and UK.

David Sisk: This is a strong hire by Mark Pope. Alvin Brooks III has been a major part of Baylor’s success in the Scott Drew era. Other coaches such as Jerome Tang and Grant McCasland have come out of the same staff and become coaching stars in the Big 12. During his time at Baylor the Bears are 194-72, and were the 2021 National Champions. Here is a morsel to chew on as well. Five of the last six recruits in that program have been five-stars. Brooks brings a strong pedigree as a coach in highly successful environments, plus the reputation of a closer on the recruiting trail. Coach Pope had to put together an imposing staff before constructing a roster. Step one has been a rousing success.

Travis Graf: Mark Pope has assembled a fantastic, well-rounded staff in a short period of time in Lexington, and the latest is Alvin Brooks III from Baylor. He’s a fantastic recruiter that’s great at forming relationships and comes from a great culture at Baylor. The Bears have produced Grant McCasland and Jerome Tang as head coaches, and I look for Brooks to be one sooner rather than later as well. He’s a guy you can depend on to real in a big fish every year.

Justin Rowland: This is a great sign. I'm not sure how much recruiting success I'd put on any assistant coach in this era. Relationships and connections are important but NIL drives a lot of it. That said, he's been an integral part of a very successful program and has landed five-stars several years in a row. Given the other coaches Pope appears to be bringing in this year, Brooks' major recruiting credentials seem to round this out well. I just think, big picture, when you look at the staff Pope assembled, he put together a group of guys that almost anybody would love to have. That bodes well for what kind of team he should be able to put together this offseason. Coaches and players are both working for money these days, and taking things one year at a time. It's a good sign as far as Pope is concerned in my mind.