Columbus State men’s basketball adds Airen Brooks, Anthony Johnson
COLUMBUS - Columbus State University head men’s basketball coach Robert Moore announced the signing of Airen Brooks and Anthony Johnson on Wednesday.
Brooks and Johnson are the first two members of the 2017 signing class and will join the Cougars for the 2017-18 season. More signees will be announced at a later date.
Brooks is a local product that will stay close to home for his collegiate career. The 6-foot-5 forward will come to Columbus State after graduating from Smiths Station (Ala.) High School. Brooks was an Alabama Sports Writers Association honorable mention All-State selection in the 7-A classification as a senior and played in the Alabama-Georgia All-Star games.
“Airen will provide length and athletic ability at the wing position,” Moore said. “He can really shoot the ball and gives us a big defender on the perimeter. He has a chance to do big things for CSU men’s basketball the next four years.”
Johnson transfers to Columbus State following two seasons at Central Georgia Tech where he helped the Titans to a combined 41-23 record. Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward, started 30 of 31 games for CGTC as a sophomore, averaging 10.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. For his efforts, Johnson was an honorable mention selection on the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association All-Region team.
“Anthony brings size and toughness to the frontcourt,” Moore added. “He was truly a need with our lack of size in the post this season. He plays with strength and power in the paint and has the skill set to be a double-double guy in the PBC.”
Moore brings the pair into his program that has won at least 20 games and made an NCAA Tournament appearance in each of the last three seasons. The Cougars were 20-10 in 2016-17 and held a share of the Peach Belt Conference West Division title. CSU also made it to the conference tournament championship and earned the fourth seed in the Southeast Region.
This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Columbus State men’s basketball adds Airen Brooks, Anthony Johnson."