Coach Michael Brooker is the new head coach of the Gibbons boys varsity basketball team. 

Growing up in Sandersville, Georgia, Brooker picked up the sport of basketball, and over his high school career he became a standout player who grabbed the attention of legendary University of North Carolina basketball head coach Dean Smith. Brooker was good enough to earn a scholarship offer to play for UNC and throughout his collegiate career he played under both coaches Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty.

Brooker spent five years with the Tar Heels where he redshirted his first year as a freshman due to a knee injury, but then went on to play four solid years on the team. During his last four seasons as a Tar Heel, Brooker was a part of three Final Four teams and two ACC championship teams. 

Soon after college, Booker took on his own coaching role as the assistant coach  of the JV program at UNC. After this stint he traveled  back to Georgia, where he coached at many different high schools in the area for 15-plus years before leading him to his most recent role as assistant coach at Alexander High School, located in Douglasville, Ga.

Brooker was very successful at Alexander, where he helped the  team to three Georgia High School Association state championship games and one state championship win in the 2022-23 season.  After that championship season, Brooker spent one more year at Alexander before stepping down as their coach and coming back to North Carolina. 

Coach Brooker says he has always had an affinity for North Carolina and states he knew of Cardinal Gibbons from assistant coach Paul Smith, who is a good friend of Brooker’s.  Brooker stated when the job opened he went through the process with Smith, and says he’s fortunate to be here. 

Brooker says that his early impressions of Gibbons have been nothing short of amazing. He got to jump in with the team at camp in Bermuda Run, N.C., as well as Wake Forest University team camp, where he states were both really good opportunities to get to know the players and see what the team has to offer this year. Booker is really pleased and encouraged by the way the team played and  is just bringing it into preseason workouts than into the season. 

Brooker stated the main thing he wants to accomplish as head coach is to produce a product on the floor that the community can be happy with while winning  as many games as possible.

Booker also states he wants to teach the guys how to navigate adversity, have a phenomenal work ethic and how to treat people and classmates while also teaching them how to become better men, better sons, and better one day fathers and people of society. 

As a team, Brooker’s goal for this year is to win  the N.C. High School Association regional championship, which would be a first for Gibbons, and hopefully go on to compete and win the state championship.  Individually, Brooker wants to help the players reach their personal goals as well like  helping them to play in college if they want to, and to be productive citizens as well. Booker stated we have a good group and it should be fun to watch.