Brooks Fools Experts by Surviving in NBA : Basketball: Former UC Irvine guard, who wasn’t drafted in 1987, just finished his fifth season in the league.

It’s funny how the smallest Anteater has made the biggest impact in the NBA.

After 23 NBA franchises passed on him during all seven rounds of the 1987 draft, 5-foot-11 Scott Brooks of the Houston Rockets has fooled everyone by finishing his fifth NBA season this spring.

“His success story is for all the Walter Mittys of the world,” said Chapman Coach Mike Bokosky, a UC Irvine assistant when Brooks played there. “He’s the little kid from the playground. He believed in himself.”

Brooks averaged 23.8 points and four assists as an Irvine senior in 1986-87. But on draft day--June 22, 1987--his name wasn’t called.

“I was hoping maybe I’d get just a courtesy draft from the Clippers or Lakers,” Brooks said. “I was down for a couple hours, but then I realized there was no reason to be down. I would just have to work harder to get to the NBA.”

After spending 1987-88 in the Continental Basketball Assn., Brooks fulfilled his lifelong dream by signing as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1988.

The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Brooks for a second-round draft pick in 1990, and when the Rockets traded for Brooks before the 1992-93 season, the Lathrop, Calif., native played with The Dream, Hakeem Olajuwon.

“It’s exciting playing with Hakeem,” Brooks said. “I’m amazed and impressed with what he does every night. You’ll see him block shots, make 20-footers. . . . My job is easy. It’s just fun to give him the ball and watch him work.”

Brooks set career highs this season in points per game (6.3 average), minutes played (19), field-goal percentage (47.5) and three-point field goal percentage (41.4), while helping the Rockets to the Midwest Division title and an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals. His numbers are modest, but no other Anteater has scored more points in the NBA.

Not even Kevin Magee?

Magee, who averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds in two UCI seasons, never played in the NBA after the Phoenix Suns selected him in the second round of the ’82 draft. He chose to play overseas.

Or Tod Murphy?

Murphy, UCI’s career scoring leader, was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the ’86 draft, spent time with the Clippers and Timberwolves, then signed as a free agent with the Rockets. He has 1,034 points. Brooks has 2,107.

Or Bob Thornton? Ben McDonald? Johnny Rogers?

McDonald and Rogers each had brief NBA careers. Thornton played for four NBA teams from 1985-92, but scored only 841 points.

“What no one in the NBA counted on was that Scott has such a big heart,” said Irvine Valley Coach Bill Mulligan, who coached Brooks at UCI. “Some people think he doesn’t have much ability because he’s a little guy who plays so hard. But he’s very talented, and it’s just amazing what he’s done with it.”

Brooks’ durability has been one key to his success. In three of his five seasons, he has played in all 82 games. He missed only two games in 1990-91 and 10 in 1989-90.

But numbers aren’t that important to Brooks. He has never been one to boast about any statistics, except one. Winning.

“That’s why you play this game, to win,” Brooks said. “In Houston, we have a lot of talent. And anytime you have Hakeem and (all-star forward) Otis Thorpe, you’re in the ball game.

“At Minnesota, I had a great time. I loved the organization, the fans, management. But we had to play almost perfect basketball to be in the game. You would give it your all, but there was no reward.”

Enter Houston General Manager Steve Patterson, who acquired Brooks on Sept. 25, 1992, from Minnesota for a ’95 second-round draft pick.

“He’s a steady complement to our backcourt,” Houston guard Kenny Smith said. “He fits in well with our style of play, and his outside shooting is a big asset.”

Brooks did not start a game this season, playing primarily as Smith’s backup at point guard. But Brooks had significant playing time in the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers and in the conference semifinals against the SuperSonics.

“I was playing about 20 minutes per game, but toward the end, 10 of them were in the fourth quarter,” Brooks said. “That made me feel appreciated, and it gave me some confidence.”

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Confidence has never been his problem.

“At every level, people were telling me you won’t make it in high school. You won’t make it in college. You won’t make it in the pros,” Brooks said. “But I always thought I’d make it to the NBA. I never doubted myself.”

“He had the best work ethic of any player that I’ve ever had,” Mulligan said. “In the off-season, he’d work out for six hours a day. In fact, he’s on his honeymoon in Europe right now . . . he’ll probably try to play some basketball somewhere.”

Brooks married Sherry Silvey, his high school sweetheart, last weekend in Monterey.

“Everyone gets married on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, right?” Mulligan said.

When Brooks returns from Europe, he will prepare for a youth basketball camp he is supervising Aug. 16-20 at University High.

“I want to get involved with the community,” said Brooks, who lives in Irvine. “Since coming to school here, I’ve found it’s the perfect place to live. You can’t beat it.”

Brooks almost didn’t make it to Irvine.

After an unsatisfying freshman season at Texas Christian, Brooks transferred to Stockton’s San Joaquin Delta Community College, near his Northern California home.

“I first saw Scott at a tournament in Modesto,” Bokosky said. “He wasn’t the best player on the Delta team, but he played harder than any of the other guys. He was also unselfish, and he did whatever it took for his team to win.”

But the next season, Irvine was stocked at guard with projected starters--transfers Joe Buchanan and Mike Hess--and returning starter Bryan Williams, who set the school’s single-game record for assists as a freshman.

“But Mulligan saw Scott at another tournament, and he just fell in love with the way he played,” Bokosky said.

Still, Brooks only got a scholarship to play at Irvine after another recruit failed to meet the academic eligibility requirements.

And once on the team, Brooks wasn’t slated to play much. But when Hess suffered an injury before Irvine’s exhibition opener, Brooks started in his place and scored 14 points on five-for-five shooting from the field against Club Bosnia. Brooks remained a starter the rest of the season.

“I remember Scott’s first practice and saying to myself, ‘Hey, he had a great day of practice,’ ” Bokosky said. “Then it was, ‘He had a great week of practice.’ I kept thinking ‘He can’t be that good, can he?’

“After about a month, we realized we had something really special. Not only was he talented, he worked extremely hard.”

Said Mulligan: “He’s the best guard we’ve ever had.”