After a hard-fought battle against CIAA South division champion Fayetteville State in the quarterfinals of the CIAA Basketball tournament, Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks announced he is calling it a career after 16 years in the position.
During the postgame press conference, Brooks said that he made the decision during the summer and chose not to announce it to the team before the game to allow them to play freely.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years, I’ve been [at Bowie State] for 16,” said Brooks, reflecting upon his career after making it known he was retiring from coaching. “I’m just thankful to this University for everything they’ve given me, my wife, and my family. I’ll be around, we’ll be around.”
The Bulldogs’ season came to an end following an 86-83 loss to Fayetteville State in which they nearly came away with an upset in a game, succumbing to a go-ahead layup after briefly taking the lead in the final seconds.
Brooks’ 16-year career as head coach at Bowie State comes to an end with an overall record of 267-255, including a 145-119 record against CIAA opponents.
He led the Bulldogs to two CIAA championships and three NCAA Division II tournament appearances, including in 2011, which marked their most recent national tournament game win to date.
The Bowie State coach was also named CIAA Coach of the Year in 2014-2015 after finishing the season with a 22-8 overall record, claiming the CIAA North division championship.
