Former Michigan point guard Durral ‘Phat Phat’ Brooks transfers to Central Michigan

The former Michigan Mr. Basketball has found a new home in his home state.

Durral “Phat Phat” Brooks, the former Michigan basketball point guard and winner of the 2024 Mr. Michigan Basketball award as the top ranked player in the state, announced his transfer to Central Michigan via social media late on May 9.

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Brooks was one of three freshmen guards who joined the Wolverines in the first season under Dusty May, but unlike Justin Pippen (who has since transferred to Cal) and L.J. Cason, who caught fire late in the year and is now seen as a key piece for the team moving forward, he simply never caught on for meaningful minutes.

The former Grand Rapids Catholic Central star played in 15 games where he averaged just 3.2 minutes per contest. He made 2 of 6 field goal attempts in his career and went 1-for-3 on 3-pointers while going 7-for-9 from the line, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds. He scored four points in the season-opening win against Cleveland State in a career-high 12 minutes, then only saw action for more than three minutes in three games: five minutes vs. Tarleton State, six vs. Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne and seven vs. Western Kentucky.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound ball handler originally pledged to former coach Juwan Howard, but even upon his firing, May was able to convince him to stick around. Despite his acumen entering the Big Ten, he continued to fall down the depth chart as the season went on.

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If there was one moment he was most known for during his time in Ann Arbor, it would be standing on the logo in East Lansing during Michigan State’s senior day as the Spartans were attempting to check out of the game and kiss the court as is part of their 30-year annual tradition.

Instead, Brooks stood in the way and despite MSU players Jaden Akins and Tre Hollomon signaling for him to move, he did not, which led to Holloman (now at North Carolina State) to walk up to him and shove him in the chest, beginning a bit of a scuffle.

After entering the transfer portal in April, Brooks will join the Mid-American Conference under a new coach, Andy Bronkema, who helped lead Ferris State to a Division II national championship in 2018. With Brooks’ decision, all five U-M players who entered the portal from the 2024-25 roster now have new homes: Tre Donaldson (Miami), Sam Walters (SMU), Pippen (Cal), Jace Howard (Fordham) and Brooks at CMU.