Right Place, Right Guy — Every Time

Spartan Spotlight: Rod Brooks ’94

By Madeline McMahon

Coach Rod Brooks '94 has made his mark on basketball courts around the Tampa Bay area, starting as a player in his hometown of Rubonia and on the hardwood at UT. Photograph courtesy of Rod Brooks ’94

Rod Brooks ’94 credits many of his opportunities to being in the right place at the right time. But if you’ve met him, it’s easy to see that he’s simply the right person.

Richard Schmidt, UT men’s basketball head coach, saw it the first time he scouted Brooks playing in high school. Brooks later played basketball at UT with dreams of going to the NBA, but a couple of years and a torn meniscus later, he was forced to pivot.

Then, his charm and charisma caught the attention of his dry cleaner while dropping off his clothes. When Brooks explained that he was looking for a job, the shop owner sold him one of his franchises. Brooks was shocked he was chosen “out of anybody,” but he wasn’t just anybody.

Brooks successfully ran the business until he sold it in 2009; then he felt like he was back at square one. He made the wise choice of chatting with his grandmother, who told him, “You know what you are? You’re a basketball coach.”

Once again, Brooks found himself in the right place at the right time. The next year, at his oldest daughter’s basketball game, a friend of a friend found him in the bleachers and asked if he’d considered coaching travel ball. But it was no coincidence — they had been needing a coach like Brooks, and a gig was ready and waiting for him. When Brooks put on his coaching hat, it was the perfect fit.

He hasn’t taken it off since, and for 11 years he was an assistant coach at Tampa Prep. But his real impact happens off the court. For the past 10 summers, Brooks has driven a group of kids from his small but mighty hometown of Rubonia in Manatee County to Washington, D.C., to go sightseeing. His face lights up as he tells stories about the kids, like the young football star who was struggling in class five years ago and is now a University of Central Florida signee, and the 15-year-old who had never spent a night away from his mother until the trip.

Brooks’ latest dream was fulfilled when he landed his first high school head coaching position at Fivay High School in Hudson, north of Tampa, this past year. He didn’t hesitate to show his players where his love of the game began: “I brought my team to a game at my old high school," he said. "My grandmother came with all 16 of her brothers and sisters, my mom and her siblings, and my cousins. It gave me chills.”

If that’s not moving enough, the game was on the anniversary of the death of Brooks’ high school coach, his original inspiration. “Coach Hughes was my constant,” says Brooks. “Everybody said, ‘I wish he could’ve been there,’ but I know he was.” Now that’s the right place at the right time.