A potpourri of items from the local sports world:

We start with the somewhat surprising news that former Idaho State basketball player Alvin Brooks III will not be returning as the head assistant basketball coach at Kentucky.

Kentucky’s hiring of Brooks as Mark Pope’s chief assistant two years ago was highly touted in the national basketball media. An assistant for Baylor’s national championship team, the former Bengal guard was known as an excellent recruiter who lured future NBA talents VJ Edgecombe, Keyonte George and Ja’Kobe Walter to the Bears’ program.

Signed to a two-year contract as Pope’s associate head coach, Brooks was viewed by many in the national media as one of the top recruiters in the country. But for whatever reasons, the recruiting magic didn’t translate to Lexington. The Wildcats relied heavily on portal transfers during Pope’s first season as head coach, and with a full year to build relationships with high school recruits, Kentucky had no commitments for its 2026 class until Friday, when four-star point guard Mason Williams committed.

Rumors were starting to spread in recent weeks that Pope was going to shake up his coaching staff after a disappointing 22-14 season and a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to Iowa State. Last week, Jason Hart left the staff to rejoin Andy Enfield as associate head coach at SMU. Hart had worked under Enfield at USC for eight years.

Then Brooks posted a message on his Instagram account on Saturday, thanking Pope and the UK powers that be for his time in Lexington.

“My family and I truly enjoyed our time in Lexington — relationships that will last a lifetime,” Brooks wrote. “Grateful for the players, staff and everyone who poured into us over the past two years. We trust God’s plan and are looking forward to what He has in store next.”

Brooks, whose dad Alvin Brooks II had a long career as a head college basketball coach, played 55 games at Idaho State from 2000 to 2003, averaging 5.4 points over that time. When he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s in athletic administration, coaching was not on his to-do list.

But after shadowing then-ISU Athletic Director Jim Senter, Brooks told the Journal in a 2024 interview that athletic administration wasn’t in his future, either. It was after he went to see his friend Rashard Lewis, who was playing for the Seattle SuperSonics, and watched him work out with the Sonics’ assistants, that he became convinced he could be a successful coach.

Brooks worked his way up the coaching ranks, starting in junior college, working in two mid-major programs, then on to Kansas State before his star really climbed during his time working under Scott Drew at Baylor.

Despite the prestige of coaching at Kentucky, moving his family from Waco was not an easy decision. Both of his sons are autistic, including his oldest son, Alvin IV, who is nonverbal. He and his wife Tiffany had to reacclimate their boys to a new environment.

At the time of his hiring at Kentucky, Brooks acknowledged that his ultimate goal was to be a head coach someday. It was something of a given that he would be able to pick and choose which opportunities he would eventually pursue.

Now, with his release at Kentucky, there is a rather significant bump in the 46-year-old Brooks’s career road. But given both his tremendous character and the successes he’s had in the basketball world, he likely won’t be unemployed for long.

Bengals in the NCAA Tournament

This year’s NCAA Tournament has been a showcase of sorts for former Idaho State players and assistant coaches.

Geoff Alexander, who served as an assistant under Idaho State head coach Joe O’Brien from 2007 to 2011, will be going to the Final Four as an assistant on the Illinois staff. Alexander is the recruiting coordinator as well as an assistant under Brad Underwood. He’s been on the Illini staff since 2021.

The Fighting Illini will meet UConn in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, former Idaho State player Amorrow Morgan saw his Tennessee team get eliminated in the Elite Eight by Michigan on Sunday. Morgan was an All-Big Sky Conference wing player at Idaho State under O’Brien, graduating in 2012. He joined the Volunteer staff of head coach Rick Barnes last May after serving as an assistant at Cal from 2023-25.

Former Bengal Dylan Darling had his run in the NCAA Tournament at St. John’s come to an end in the Sweet 16, where the Red Storm were eliminated by Duke. Darling, who made the game-winning layup in St. John’s second-round win over Kansas, missed on a potential game-tying 3-pointer late in the game against the Blue Devils.

New Bengals

Finally, current Idaho State head coach Ryan Looney is busy on the recruiting trail, looking to replace six seniors and at least two portal transfers for next season.

Two high school players have announced on social media that they are committed to join the Bengal program next season: Eli Garner, a 6-foot-5-inch wing player from California, and Bryce Lowenbach, a 6-9 forward from Prineville, Oregon.

Garner, who led his Damien High School team to a state championship, was named his area’s player of the year by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. He is considered an excellent defensive player who defended some of California’s most highly recruited stars during the state tournament. He also averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds a game.

Lowenbach, meanwhile, was selected as the Oregon 5A Co-Player of the Year by The Oregonian, which is voted on by the state’s coaches. Lowenbach averaged 23.3 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game in leading his Crook County team to a 23-1 regular-season record. He finished his high school career with 1,479 points, 1,001 rebounds, 181 blocks and 189 assists.

He’ll bring some much-needed size to the Bengal roster, after ISU lost All-Big Sky defensive player Evan Otten, a 6-11 center, to the transfer portal and post players Caleb Van De Griend and Blake Daberkow to graduation.

Looney can’t comment on high school commits until they officially sign with ISU. The national signing period begins April 15.

Lowenbach and Garner join two California players who signed with ISU last fall — Jovan Dulay, a 6-6 wing player from Folsom High School, and McKae Amundsen, a 5-10 point guard from Clovis North High School in Fresno. In addition, Nathan Amoran, a 6-3 guard from a professional team in Sweden, has verbally committed to the Bengals.

According to the Verbal Commits website, Looney has also offered several Division II players who have entered the transfer portal. The portal for Division I players opens on April 7.

Brad Bugger has been observing athletics in southeastern Idaho since 1979, as a sports writer, broadcaster and fan. He can be reached at bpbugger@gmail.com.