Kenny Brooks is a former point guard, and he has recruited some great ones. But if you look at the numbers, what is happening right now is actually kind of crazy to see happen.
Last season, we watched Georgia Amoore set the single-season record for assists with 211 in 31 games. It was historic. This year? Tonie Morgan has already blown past that number. In just 26 games, she is sitting at 218 assists.
To have that kind of handoff, from one elite floor general to another, is something most coaches only dream of. Kenny said when Tonie hit the portal, he knew she was the one he wanted. And it has been a lucky pairing since.
The point guard whisperer
Brooks recently opened up about his relationship with Morgan, and it was a pretty funny admission of his own limitations as a coach, which is not something you see too often.
"I've had some great point guards, and that's the position that I coach," Brooks said. "I love to go down there with the post and teach Clara some stuff... but I've never made a post move in my life."
When he is working with the bigs, he is teaching theory. When he is working with Morgan? He is teaching things he has done personally; he knows what it's like.
"Everything that they do, I've done it," he said. "So when I get out there with her and show her some stuff, it's from experience. Teaching them just the little nuances of the game to make them better... that's a thrill for me."
Tonie Morgan has been on campus only 9 months.
The most impressive part of this connection isn't the stats; it's the timeline. In the old days, a coach had four years to build a mind-meld with his point guard. In the portal era, you have months.
Brooks was candid about that challenge.
"It is a new age of athletics where a kid like she and I are going to spend probably nine months together," Brooks said. "And the willingness that she has to get better... I'm not going to say she's surrendered herself to me, but I'm sure there's things that she would love to combat, but we don't have time to argue."
The willingness to work
We know the turnovers have been the story lately. Things have gotten a little loose on offense.
But if you are wondering if they can fix it, listen to what Brooks said about Morgan’s mindset after a tough practice. "She might think that I'm pissed at her, and she's still going to call me and say, 'Hey, can we watch film today?' Because we don't have time to waste."
That is why these two can work so well together. You can tell this partnership has flourished. You can tell they genuinely get along. Now, it is all about fine-tuning a performance that has gotten a little off track recently because of injuries.
But when your star point guard is the one asking to watch more film? You have to have a pretty good shot at figuring it out before March.