Unbeknownst to Hall, after he made his decision to come to UD, things began to take place that would not only put his scholarship in jeopardy, but also put the University of Dayton on probation. Clay Mathile, former owner of The Iams Company and a member of the Board of Trusties at The University of Dayton did the unthinkable. Mathile, who had done this same deed a number of times in his life, loaned Chuck Hall $30,000 to help pay for a new home.

A few days after making the loan, Mathile came to the realization that this actions might not be viewed upon as being proper. He contacted UD, who immediately self reported the action to the NCAA. Although done in good faith as an act of kindness and not one of gratitude for Brooks’ decision to come to UD, Mathile had done harm to both the University and Brooks Hall. The NCAA quickly began to investigate the situation and interviewed everyone involved, including Brooks.

“It is tougher now to deal with the loan situation than it was when it happened. My father called me in to tell me about it the day before it was going to hit the papers. That was the first that I had even heard about it. I was just learning as I went. I was like anybody else. When the NCAA came in and asked me questions, every answer was ‘no’ because I didn’t know anything about it. That is how they came to the conclusion that I didn’t have anything to do with it very quickly.”

Eventually, the NCAA realized that there was no intent by Mathile to persuade or reward the Halls, but they did place the UD basketball program on probation for two years, reduce the number of recruiting visits allowed and take away one scholarship for one year. The basketball program and Brooks Hall would have to pay the price for a decision that neither of them had a hand in.

When he did arrive at UD, too many fans just looked at his high school numbers without ever seeing him play or understand what his game was all about. It began a four year trek that put Hall in a position of never doing enough. It was never enough that the team won, he hadn’t scored his 20 points.

“It’s frustrating because scoring points in high school does not make you a good college player. There are a lot of players that average a lot in high school that don’t even play in college. I lot of people don’t understand my game. What is important is the number of wins we have, not my individual stats. I really am more concerned about the (NCAA) tournament and putting this team on the map.”

The team did indeed make the NCAA tournament during his freshman year for the first time in a decade. Hall worked his way into the line-up after Cain Doliboa suffered a season ending back injury and average a respectable 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He showed remarkable poise for a freshman and helped put us in the position to spring an upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament that year.

Although he connected on 84% of his free throws during the season, he will be remembered for one of the ten that he did miss that year. He had just hit his first on a one and one that drew Dayton within one against Purdue with only seconds remaining. When asked which moment sticks out in his mind more than any other when he thinks about his career at UD Brooks responded, “The one moment that really sticks out in my mind is that missed free throw against Purdue. I probably did not concentrate enough because I was so confident that I would make that second shot. I’m just glad that things are going so well this year and we have an opportunity to get back so I can make it right. Unfortunately, I just can’t forget about. I don’t blame myself for the loss, but it sticks with me.”

His sophomore year was one to forget as he suffered a hairline fracture in his leg shortly after the season started. His mobility was reduced and his numbers suffered. There would be no return trip to the NCAA and people began to question his abilities and intensity. Again, too many people looked solely at his numbers and not what he brought to the floor. UD had again won over 20 games and made it to the NIT.

The next year brought more of the same. Twenty wins, a post season appearance and Brooks just not doing enough. His numbers were up, but he just wasn’t the superstar that everyone expected. Although his season might have been a disappointment, the rest of his life was in full gear. Brooks and his fiancée, Nichole, had become parents.

Brooks related, “Nicole and I started dating my sophomore year, got serious and then got engaged and all of a sudden she is pregnant. I wouldn’t change a thing. My daughter (Brooklynn one year old March 3) is the joy of my life.” Fatherhood has certainly changed Hall and what he sees as important in his life.

“It has really changed my life. You see all of your friends go out and I used to hang out, but now I have a regimented schedule. I get up, go to class, go to practice and then come home and be daddy. I’m a lot more serious about life and basketball now because I want Brooklynn to have everything that she needs. I should be able to make decent money playing basketball. I want to give them a comfortable life. It makes me take basketball a lot more serious. On the other hand, it has helped me put basketball in perspective. Basketball isn’t everything. When I have a bad game and I am down on myself, she doesn’t care. She just wants to play. She loves me because I’m me, not because I had a good game. Basketball can take a back seat when I’m with her. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Brooks continues, “I probably changed more diapers than anyone else at the beginning, but I’ve backed off as the messes have gotten bigger. The best part of being a dad is the unbelievable feeling that you helped create this. Watching her grow and develop her own personality is exciting. She just started walking just a few weeks ago. So many things are happening so quickly.”

This newfound responsibility has certainly done nothing to change his desire to do well on the court and Hall has taken a quiet leadership role on a team that has reached heights not seen at UD since the 1960’s. His numbers are not a great deal different, but he seems to be able to know what is needed at any point in time. It might be a three, a rebound, a nifty pass or a defensive stop. With Brooks, it is not about individual numbers, it is about winning.

“I don’t worry about how many points I score or how many threes. I care about wins and tournaments. Too many people only worry about how many points I score and that is not how I evaluate my game.”

We hear a great deal about what basketball players do on the court. We also hear a great deal when they appear in a different kind of court. What we don’t hear about are the things that they do in their spare time when they go out of their way to help those not as fortunate as themselves.

“I did some volunteer work while I was in High School, helping out at soup kitchens. The first time I did it was with the team, but then I went back on my own. I really enjoy it. I love how we do community service work at UD. We go down to Westwood Rec Center at Christmas time and give the kids presents. It is great to see their eyes light up. We also help out at the Elder Beerman Thanksgiving meal. I am always going to want to give back. I learned as a child to always give back.”

His involvement with others in basketball has extended beyond the court to interaction with the NCAA and the future.

“I’m now the President of the Executive Committee of the Student Basketball Council. We accomplished a good deal when we first started meeting. The NCAA has given us a good opportunity to help change things. What it going on in Nebraska makes a lot of sense. I think we deserve something. I’m not sure how much, but there is a lot of money being made by the Universities. It gets tough toward the end of each month with our budgets.”

As his senior season comes to a close, it is only natural that Hall begins to think about what comes next. As one might expect, he has a healthy attitude about his future and its overall importance in his life.

“Not making the NBA will not be a disappointment. A lot of people think that if you don’t make the NBA, it’s a bust. You can make a lot of money overseas. You can also make it into the NBA from overseas. Making the NBA is my number one goal but if I don’t make it, it’s not a disaster. I’ll get invited to some camps. I’ll have to play well there. They always need shooters and that will work well for me. I hope that they look at the intangibles. I think it looks better than some might think. It is not an unreachable goal.”

Brooks also has more going for him than just basketball. “I have a major in Psychology and a minor in Communication. I would love to work with my dad. He is a counselor who works with children and oversees school programs. He has gone back to school to get his Masters.”

Although his college career is about to come to a close, he continues to learn more about the game and how important it is to continue to learn everyday. His relationship with his teacher has continued to grow through the years as he learns from Purnell’s experience.

“It’s great playing for Coach P. I would describe him as laid back in your face. He’s calm and if everything is going smooth he’ll ride it out. He is very good at seeing things that we don’t see. Before we played Duquesne he was hot during warm-ups. He said that we weren’t ready and they were fired up. He told us that we better get ready or we would be in trouble. I’ve learned to listen to him because he is usually right. The guys looked ready to me, but he was right again. He’s a very good coach that understands the game and reads his players very well.”

With only a few games left in his career, we can take a much closer look at what he and the program have accomplished. When Hall decided to matriculate at the University of Dayton, Oliver Purnell had just completed his fourth year at UD and had made the post season for the first time since 1990. They were, however, about to embark on a disastrous 11-17 season that would start many to question if Oliver Purnell was indeed the answer to our basketball problems.

Since he has arrived at UD, the Flyers have won 90 games with an opportunity to win six more. You have to go back to the 1964-68 seasons to find that level of success. The Flyers are indeed back and are about to begin a journey through the NCAA tournament that could very well cement Brooks Hall’s place in UD basketball lore forever.

He never averaged even as many at 14 points per game while at UD, but he always knew his part and his importance. He was determined to win and win he did. He will be remembered as one of the most complete players ever to play at Dayton. One just has to wonder if that will be enough to make everyone outside of the program happy.