THROUGH AB3 EYES

November 24, 2008

I am proud to announce to everyone that I have clinched a playoff spot in the fantasy football league I am competing in for a championship, the Any Given Sunday league, created by College Insiders Joe Dwyer. Thanks for inviting me Joe! :-) I have definitely enjoyed the success I've had so far in the league. In the fantasy basketball league I am competing in, the 3B Fam Presents league, I am currently in 8th out of 14th place. I am not extremely happy about that but I am facing one of my friends this week, Jeff Malone. I know this will make him very upset and the stats may change from now until Sunday night but I am beating him 7 out of the 9 categories. I should beat him, he is in 13th place right now...LOL. Calm down Jeff, I am just joking with you.

It is the time of the year again where it gets colder but I love it. I don't love it because it is cold; I love it because it is basketball season. We are 1-1 so far, losing to the #19 ranked Florida Gators last Sunday. We are travelling to Fort Meyers, Florida tomorrow to play 3 games in a row from Monday-Wednesday. Hopefully, we will come back very very very happy. I used a "very" for each win I am hoping we will achieve.

I want to thank Debbie Hartness, administrative assistant for our athletic department, for baking me a 7 up cake today. It is my favorite cake and she is a good cook so I have been basically begging her to bake one for me for a long time. I really appreciate her kindness of baking a cake for me. I really enjoyed it, so did everyone else that helped me eat it...LOL. I hope she is looking forward to baking a couple more this year after that great performance :-)

I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy this blessed holiday! Check back soon!

November 10, 2008

Random events? Coincidences? Do you believe there are random events or coincidences in life? Personally, I believe everything happens for a reason. We are put through different experiences, both positive and negative, by God to make us the people we are.

I could sit here and tell you my life story and how the obstacles and successes I went through made me who I am today. Instead, I will tell you about an obstacle put in my life that turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.

It happened my junior year at Idaho State University. I had my mind made up that I was going to play two years there, graduate and become a financial adviser for athletes. The third game of the year I injured my foot. I had to medical redshirt and was not able to play the rest of the season. It was so frustrating and it was the first time I had ever been in a place that snowed every day. I very miserable and freezing, too.

God tells us that He will never be put us through more than we can handle. The silver lining was this - I finished my undergraduate work while sitting out that year and therefore, I was able to work on a master's degree my senior year. After my eligibility was up, I only had one semester left to finish my master's degree. The injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise because to be honest, I had never really considered getting a master's degree. Now, I'm so happy with the way things turned out.

The lesson I learned was to always try and turn a negative experience into a positive one because God is putting you through it for a reason. Just be patient and He will show you His plan.

October 13, 2008

After Hurricane Ike, I had a chance to go home and witness the damage that was caused throughout Houston and the surrounding areas. There were a lot of trees down, lights broken, many restaurants and stores closed as well as houses damaged. It was amazing to see how strong nature's force was during this storm. My family was blessed to make it through alive. I struggled and hurt for them because they didn't have power for almost two weeks. Just think, I struggled and was only there a few days. I can only imagine what they went through.

I felt so helpless being so many miles away so I flew home to try and help. We tried to get assistance from FEMA and they said my family didn't qualify. The government says they are here to help but I felt FEMA could have helped my family more than they did. My great-grandmother is 90 years old and for her to live in a house for over two weeks without power is ... well, let's not go there.

They say it's all about "who you know" and I found that to be true. I contacted a friend of mine that works for CenterPoint Energy and she sent a lineman to my great-grandmother's and mom's house. In two hours, their power was restored. I felt so relieved after they called to tell me they were back on and in business. I want to thank her for her efforts in going the extra mile and assisting my family.
 

September 17, 2008

I want to thank everyone for their prayers for my family, friends and everyone else who had to deal with Hurricane Ike last week. It was a very difficult situation for everyone, not only those people affected by the hurricane itself, but for those of us who had loved ones in the area. I was worried like you cannot believe because the majority of the people I love either live near Houston or were in Houston at the time of the hurricane.

I hope everyone remembered to reflect and give a moment of silence on September 11. Although it's the most tragic day in American history, it's also my birthday so it's bittersweet for me. However, during tragedies and natural catastrophes like these, it really makes me so thankful for my family and everything I've been blessed with in my life. I hope you feel the same.

Due to the hurricane, the interview with Rashard Lewis will be aired in October and Sonny Weems in November.

September 11, 2008

Time has flown by for me these past couple of weeks! We have started traveling for recruiting this fall. It seems to be wedding season also. Six former players that I coached have gotten engaged or married the past 4 months. Let's hope it is not contagious, just kidding...LOL. I have attended approximately two weddings my entire life before August 2008. The past two weeks, I have attended two weddings. One was for Jeremy Crouch, a Bradley basketball player that played for us last year. The other wedding this past weekend was for my childhood friend, Travis Eskridge, in Orlando.

I enjoyed both; it was very special to be in Orlando with my close friends that I consider my family. We also had a chance to go to Universal Studios Resort; it is huge and very fun. We ate at the NBA City restaurant. It was funny because we played the three point shooting contest and an audience started to watch us because of Rashard Lewis, my childhood friend that plays for the NBA Orlando Magic, was shooting against Jeff and I. We had 45 seconds to score as many points as possible. Rashard came in first with 69 points, I was second with 48 points and Jeff came in third. Below are a couple of pictures from Travis and Erica's wedding weekend. Click on the image to view a larger version.

August 25, 2008

I am interviewing NBA All-Star Rashard Lewis from the Orlando Magic for the second episode of the AB3 show. For the third episode, I will interview Sonny Weems, the only 2008 NBA draft pick for the Denver Nuggets. If you have any questions for either Lewis or Weems, please click the Contact Alvin on the left.

Last week, I had the chance to go to Houston and visit with family and friends for my vacation. I really enjoyed the time off before the school year starts but it seemed like the week was only a couple of days...LOL. I had the chance to see my niece, Jordyn, and she is getting big. She took her first pictures this past week and they came out great :-) Last Monday night, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of history on The Basketball Show with Jerome Tang from Baylor University. We were the first Division I coaches to be on the show with host Jim Hicks.

To view the show, click on this link: http://www.thebasketballshow.com/

The show lasted an hour longer than normal and it felt like we could have easily keep going. I started a controversial topic by asking a caller, who would win if the Dream Team played the Redeem Team? We really never came to an answer, what do you think?
 

August 13, 2008

This past weekend, August 8-10, I went home to Houston for my close friend Rashard Lewis Birthday Activities. Rashard and his twin sister, Kirsten, celebrated their 29th birthday on Friday the 18th.

On Saturday, Rashard and Krissy had a parade, bowling event at Fun Plex and a party that night. Here are a few pictures from the weekend below. Click on the image to view a larger version.

August 6, 2008

First of all, Happy Birthday Pops! Hope you get the chance to enjoy it a little bit.

The AB3 Show will premier in a couple of weeks, which will have interviews from athletes to professionals in other careers. There will also be game contest and trivia to test your knowledge on different topics. I enjoyed interviewing my father Alvin Brooks, currently on the University of Kentucky staff, about his life and career. Here are a few questions that were asked:

- Do you have any intentions of becoming a head coach again? If so, what will you do the same or different than you did at University of Houston?

- When was the last time you whooped AB3? And who would win in a game of 1 on 1?

- Do you think that you will ever be a father/son coaching team?

- Did you always want to coach? And what is the hardest part about coaching?

- What age did you start playing? Why basketball? And what made you want to be a coach?

- What’s the next thing you would like to accomplish?.
 

July 1, 2008

Coming soon, the AB3 Show will premier in August 2008. The AB3 Show will present interviews from athletes to professionals in other careers. There will also be game contest and trivia to test your knowledge on different topics. Tune in and enjoy!

If you have any ideas, please submit them to me here.
 

June 28, 2008

I want to Congratulate Sonny Weems and Nathan Jawai on getting drafted in last nights NBA Draft! It was great to see two players I coached in junior college accomplish one of their dreams. Nathan was drafted by the Indiana Pacers and Sonny Weems was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and later dealt to the Denver Nuggets. The new chapter has started!

Nathan Jawai: http://www.theage.com.au/news/basketball/from-out-of-nowhere-jawai-is-drafted-to-nba/2008/06/28/1214472842297.html

Sonny Weems: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/27/weems-footballs-loss-nuggets-gain/ 

June 11, 2008

I would like to thank my good friend Coach Michael Kelley for giving me the chance to speak at the fifth annual YMCA boys and girls basketball camp in Monmouth yesterday. I really had fun with the kids.

The article is below:

http://www.reviewatlas.com/sports/x670449910/Coach-gives-back-to-hometown 

June 4, 2008

Are you an emotional person? What causes you to be emotional at times? I do not classify myself as an emotional person but I must admit that I was very emotional on May 27. I can not explain the feeling I had walking towards the hospital room with my mother. Knowing that my sister was giving birth to my first niece was an indescribable feeling. As the oldest child, I wanted to be there to support my sister and help her anyway I could. I knew I could not do much but I wanted to be there for her. The only problem was I could not be there for her like I wanted too. My flight left Houston approximately 3 hours before Jordyn was born. I have seen pictures of her; she is very beautiful with a head full of hair :) I am still in disbelief that my little sister that cried for everything I had when we were kids is now a mother. Time waits for no one!.

May 17, 2008

Do you believe that you know everything? Do you ever stop listening to people that have experienced what you are going through? If you answered yes to either of those two questions, you are headed for failure. There is not one successful person in this world that has become successful on their own. It is impossible. You need others to succeed no matter what you do in life. If you can name someone or something where you do not need anyone to succeed, please let me know! For the month of April, we had a chance to hit the recruiting scene. We can not go on the road until July now. Looking forward to having fun with the kids at camp in June.

At the moment, I am in Lexington, Kentucky learning more about basketball and life from my father. I want to be the best coach I can be and I am lucky to be able to have a great mentor to be my dad. I have been blessed my entire basketball life to learn from Coach Pat Rafferty to Coach Junsie Cotten to Coach Scott Raines to Coach Doug Oliver to Coach Louis Wilson to Coach Jeremy Cox to Coach Grant McCasland to Coach Jim Les to Coach Eric Buescher to Coach Steve Merfeld to Coach Kyle Vogt to many other coaches I have not mentioned that has had an influence on my thought process as a player, coach and person.

April 14, 2008

Time changes everything! Do you remember what you were doing in your life in the month of April in 1998? My life was up in the air 10 years ago due to many circumstances. The plans I had after graduating from high school in 1997 had suddenly been shattered due to my father being relieved of his head coaching duties at University of Houston. I also had other personal obstacles I was going through.

In 1998, The Final Four was in San Antonio and my childhood friend, Rashard Lewis, was playing in the High School Hoop Summit game versus the World, which included Dirk Nowitzki. Since my father was no longer at University of Houston, I had to change what school I would attend college. My father and I ate with Coach Pat Rafferty at the Hilton to discuss what Midland College has to offer me as a student-athlete.

Funny how things happen, 10 years later I am at the Final Four in San Antonio as a coach. I had a chance to see Coach Rafferty briefly and we discussed when we met in San Antonio. Last night, I had the opportunity to go watch Rashard play against the Chicago Bulls. Rashard and I laughed at the fact that 10 years has passed by, even though it feels like yesterday. Congratulations to Rashard and his Orlando Magic teammates for winning their 50th game last night. That is a great accomplishment for any NBA team. I'm looking forward to watching them play for a long time in the playoffs.

Speaking of 10 years, where do you think you will be 10 years from now? Hopefully I am still living, healthy and happy with my family and friends. I also would like to be successful as a parent, family member, friend and coach.

Our season is over and we had a good season, even with all the injuries and other obstacles we had to overcome. We never quit when times were hard and actually became closer and fought through together. We accomplished a lot as it is always special to play in the month of April. We lost to Tulsa in the best out of 3 series in the CBI tournament. The CBI gave us a chance to continue playing and to finish with 21 wins. This is the third year in a row Bradley has finished with 21 wins or better. Now it is time to get ready for the 2008-09 season!.

 

March 25, 2008

Memories, we all have good memories and bad memories. Last week, I went to a place where I had bad and good memories. I went to Hutchinson, Kansas to watch the Division I Junior College National Tournament. I have been to Hutchinson a total of 4 times in my life. I went once as a player for Midland College, twice as an assistant coach (University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Midland College), and now as a recruiter for Bradley University. I must admit that going as a recruiter is a lot more
relaxing...LOL.


As a player for Midland College, we finished in 6th place. I am still disappointed to this day at myself for not playing like I was capable to help my teammates win the 2000 National Championship. I do understand I can't change the past and it happened for a reason. But it still hurts to know that I did not perform my best. As an assistant coach, I was blessed to be a part of 2 National Championship teams (University of
Arkansas-Fort Smith in 2006 and Midland College in 2007). As a recruiter, I had the chance to watch some good coaches and good players. Most of the players have no idea what an accomplishment it is to be a part of the National Tournament.


In the CBI, we beat Cincinnati last week. Last night, we played against a good Ohio team. Although we started off sluggish, we rallied to win 79 to 73 in the CBI Quarterfinals. We are now in the Final Four of the CBI and play at the University of Virginia tomorrow night at 6pm central time on Fox College Sports. Please watch and support us if you can! GO BRAVES!
 

March 18, 2008

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? If not, why don't you? I actually believe that everything happens for a reason. I may not know or understand the reason at the time of every situation. Sometimes I figure out the reason and sometimes I have not.

The Missouri Valley Conference tournament is held in Saint Louis, Missouri. It was different than what I have experienced the previous three years of my coaching career. In junior college, there is not a conference tournament. There is a Region tournament and the winner of the region advances to the National Tournament in Kansas, which would be considered the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The atmosphere in Saint Louis was great. Our Bradley fans seem to be everywhere I looked. As we were getting off the elevator in our hotel before our game, the band, cheerleaders and a hundred or so of our fans were there to greet us for our walk to our bus. It was an unbelievable feeling to have that kind of support.

Unfortunately, we lost our first round game to Creighton on March 7th. We were down and could have quit but we never gave up during the game or any game throughout our season. We have been through a lot this year but have stuck together like a real family is supposed to. We could have easy put our heads down and separate as a team during the hard times but it only made us become closer as a family. We were predicted to finish second in our conference in the pre-season but finished fifth. I am not a person to make excuses but major injuries and off the court incidents to key players will hurt any team. We adjusted with every obstacle thrown at us and kept pushing to be successful. As a coach, the players that I have coached mean more to me than the normal fan will understand. In the programs I have been blessed to be a part of, we become family for the rest of our lives. It is not a relationship built to last for just a couple of seasons.

After we lost to Creighton, I was very disappointed. Losing meant it was the end of our season and we had not achieved the goals that we set at the beginning of the season. After getting back to the hotel, I had to make a quick major decision. My great grandmother, who is a major influence in my life and helped me become the man I am today, was having her 90th birthday party the next day at 1pm. I called our Head Coach, Jim Les, and asked him if it was okay for me to go if I could find a reasonable price ticket. After talking to Coach Les, I called our travel agent, Barb, and asked her to please check the prices to Houston. As I expected the prices from Saint Louis to Houston on such a short notice was very expensive. Even thought the prices were not reasonable, I knew all the money I was going to spend would be worth it after seeing my great grandmother face when I surprise her. I also understand that having a 90th birthday is something very special! Barb and Mary found me a late flight out of Saint Louis to Houston. Even though we lost and I was very disappointed, I was excited to get the chance to spend some time with my great grandmother, family and friends. Could that have been one of the reasons that we did not win the game against Creighton? I am still not sure if it was or not.

When I arrived at the party, it was great to see the members in my family faces when I showed up. They were surprise to see me because they figured I would not be there due to our conference tournament. I had not seen some of my family members in years and was good to catch up with them. But what really made the trip worth it was when I walked up behind my great grandmother and hugged her while she was sitting at her table. I wish you would have seen her face after she turned around and seen who it was. She started shaking and tears came in her eyes. Seeing her reaction made the trip well worth it. No amount of money or material items can replace that feeling I had while I was hugging her and listening to the words she was saying. The only bad part was that my trip was very short but my family understands that my time is limited due to my occupation. They know I love them very much!

As for as our basketball season, we are not done after all and playing in the postseason! I am very excited that we are getting a chance to be a part of history by being 1 of the 16 teams to play in the inaugural tournament called CBI. We are hosting Cincinnati on Wednesday, March 19th at 6pm central time on Fox Sports. If you are in the area, please attend the game and be loud as possible!
 

March 6, 2008

From this point on, I am going to give you the world through my eyes. I'll write about past, present and future events. Some events will involve me and other events will not. I've always been told that I am a quiet and hard person to read. I am not the most vocal person in the world, to say the least...LOL. I do open up to people as you really get to know me. I am not a rude person if I come out that way because of my stoic approach. The truth of the matter is I am a little shy. Although, coaching has helped me become more outgoing than I was in the past.


March 5, 2008

Happy 90th Birthday Granny! I love you very much! Hope you enjoy your day!.

 

February 24, 2008

What is your passion? Passion is defined as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. We all have a passion for something, it is something you enjoy doing and would do it for free. Other than coaching basketball, I have a passion for music.

In this section, I will write about my passion for music and how it has and still helps me make it through everyday. Stay tuned!

February 2, 2008

After 28 years, it has taken many family members and friends to help me realize that I have an obsession. Some of the people that are closest to me think that I need help. Personally, I don't want to get help. For now, we will call what I'm obsessed to "Bee."

I have been obsessed to "Bee" since I was born. It's not my fault I was born with "Bee" in my blood. I guess I am a product of my own environment. I have heard people say that many times. Please don't look at me different or blame me for not having the self-control to go without "Bee" for one day.

Every person around the world has obsessions but they are afraid to admit it. Think about something that you are obsessed with. Be honest with yourself please. Can you stop your obsession right now? Not tomorrow or next week but right now. Saying yes is a lot easier than actually doing it. I am admitting that I cannot stop my obsession to "Bee."

I'll reveal to you what "Bee" is sometime this week. Until then, please treat me or look at me the same before I admitted to have my obsession.