Kalik Brooks

Men's Basketball

Following in a Father’s Footsteps

Leading up to opening night of the 2020-21 Georgia State men's basketball season, each member of the roster will be featured on a different day with a story, video, and social media elements. We continue the series today with Kalik Brooks who enters his sophomore season with the Panthers.

When it comes to sibling rivalry for most families, the rivalry comes on the court or the field, but in the case of Kalik Brooks and his siblings it came in the classroom. Following his freshman season that saw him earn Athletic Director's Honor Roll recognition twice, this shouldn't be a surprise, but there is a lot more to this sophomore that has yet to be discovered.

"Academics has always been very important to me," Brooks said. "My mom instilled that in me and all my siblings since the start. She would always tell me that life is bigger than basketball, so you always need to have a Plan B."

That 'Plan B' very well may come in the form of following in his father's footsteps. His father Ernest Brooks helped raise children to understand what hard work and the value of an education can do for a young person.

"I always have made sure that I stayed on top of my academics," Brooks said. "With my major in computer science, I really would like to follow in my dad's footsteps as he is a computer scientist. I hope to follow him to build my own resume before breaking off and creating my own company one day.

"He is a project manager for the CDC right now. I see him working hard a lot, but he really enjoys it. He put me and my sister on to it. We want to do it now too, plus it pays well."

There may be no better place in the country than Atlanta to follow in those footsteps. Kalik grew up in the Snellville area before moving to Alpharetta and has always appreciated being from the Atlanta area.

"It means a lot to be from Atlanta," Brooks said. "When I travel elsewhere and tell people that I'm from Atlanta, it's just different. I hold it very near and dear to my heart. I feel like people from Atlanta are trendsetters."

What's unique for Kalik is that although basketball is extremely important to him, it isn't necessarily what drives him. He wants to do as well as he can on the court, but still holds true to the values that he was raised upon.

"Sports were never big in my house growing up - it was always more about who had the best grades when it came to sibling rivalry," Brooks said. "Sports didn't really become big in our household until I started doing well in basketball and by that time my sister had already graduated and stopped playing sports."

Regardless of what his points, rebounds, and assists numbers look like over the next few years of his Georgia State basketball career, there is no doubt that 'Plan B' will be successful for this basketball player who truly understands the meaning of student-athlete.
 
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Players Mentioned

Kalik Brooks

#21 Kalik Brooks

G
6' 5"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Kalik Brooks

#21 Kalik Brooks

6' 5"
Sophomore
G