Littleton High School honored the legacy of it’s most accomplished basketball player yesterday. Brooks Thomson tragically passed away this summer. Thompson was a member of Littleton’s 1987 and 1989 state championship teams. As a senior in 1989 Brooks was the Colorado player of the year. Unlike many of today’s star players Brooks did not start until his senior year of high school. Despite not starting, Brooks never lost conviction in his dream of playing in the NBA. Along with being tabbed as the player of the year in Colorado, Brooks was also selected as a high school All American, and was the James Naismith player of the year after averaging 28.5 points per game along with 9 assists.
Brooks’s mother, Sue, wife Michelle, brother Chip and aunt Jan along with friends, teammates and coaches all gathered to celebrate his memory by witnessing the retiring of his number 23 jersey. Sue and Michelle presented a check to Littleton High School to go towards youth who cannot afford to participate in sports camps, which is fitting considering how kind and giving Brooks was. As his teammates and former coaches gathered behind Michelle and Sue, former Littleton coach Ron Vasin spoke about Brooks’s successful career and how he overcame “one in ten million odds” to become an NBA player.
Brooks’s mom Sue was all smiles Saturday as friends, family and coaches celebrated his legacy.
Brooks was a one of a kind and his absence is felt daily by his friends, teammates but mostly by his brother, mother, wife and three beautiful daughters Addison, Brooke and Ryan. This ceremony was able to provide temporary smiles for the family as they continue to grieve over the lost of a special man. “It’s tough,” Michelle said. “The holidays especially, but we have peace knowing that he’s at the feet of God doing his work to protect us from Heaven.”
After transferring from Texas A&M, Brooks starred at Oklahoma State from 1992 – 1994. While at Oklahoma State Brooks teamed up with fellow all conference players, Bryant “Big Country” Reeves and sharp shooter Randy Rutherford (who developed into one of Brooks’s best friends) to lead the Cowboys to two NCAA tournament berths and top 20 finishes. Brooks was drafted in the first round of the 1994 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. After chronic back pain cut his career short, Brooks returned to Oklahoma State to begin his coaching career, and meet and marry the love of his life, Michelle. Brooks’s coaching career concluded last season as the head coach at the University of Texas San Antonio. Brooks began his stint at UTSA in 2006 and led them to the second round the NCAA tournament in 2011.
