YOUNGSTOWN - Poor shooting never fazed DuShawn Brooks.
He said after the UC-Riverside game, where he had 14 rebounds and two points on 1 of 15 from the floor, he wasn't worried about the shots not falling, convinced that they would eventually fall.
"I've been in the gym working on my shot, keeping my confidence high, keeping doing the other things I do and keep focus in the game," Brooks said.
Article Video
Brooks, Coach Jerry Slocum talks about Brooks' play
Since that Nov. 18 home game, the 6-foot-6 Youngstown State University senior from Harvey, Ill., has shined offensively - especially in the last two games at Detroit and at Wright State.
Brooks, who averaged 20.5 points in YSU's two games and was 9 of 14 from the 3-point line, was named the Horizon League Player of the Week.
"At the end of the day, what I did this weekend, I want to keep going," said Brooks, whose team hosts NCAA Division III Fredonia State (6-1) tonight at 7:45 p.m.
He had 17 points in the 63-62 loss at Wright State and a career-high 24 for the Penguins (5-2) at Detroit -the team's first Horizon League road victory since Feb. 7, 2009, at UIC.
"We had the opportunity to win two ball games, should've won two ball games," YSU coach Jerry Slocum said. "He clearly won us the Detroit game. He was a one-man show in the last 4, 5 minutes. He made every big shot, every big play. I'm happy for him."
Slocum attributes Brooks' slow start to pressure mounting within the senior forward.
"We expect a lot from him," Slocum said. "I think early in the year, I think he put some extra pressure on himself with high expectations. I think we got him to slow down a little bit, get him in the gym a little bit more, got him to relax and take some shots that were there, instead of taking some forced shots at different time.
"I'm very happy for him. He played great offensively over last week."
Brooks said he doesn't want this momentum to subside.
"All those shots I've been taking have been open shots," Brooks said. "I just stay focused on what coach has been telling me and it's been starting to work."
