Andi Brooks reunited with Paula Buscher after joining the Bradley Women’s Basketball staff in the summer of 2003 as the administrative assistant. After serving as the Braves administrative assistant for the 2003-04 season, Brooks was elevated to assistant coach in September.
Brooks played under Buscher at the University of Nebraska-Omaha during the 1999-2000 season, before Buscher came to Bradley. She finished her collegiate career at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison, Colo., where she earned her bachelor of science degree in kinesiology earning a 3.94 grade point average.
While at Western State, Brooks garnered first-team All-West Division in her senior season while starting all 27 games at point guard and averaging 10.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Her 4.2 assist average was good for third best in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Columbia, Mo., native co-captained the Mountaineers averaging a team-leading 35.9 minutes per contest.
“Andi was a very hard worker as a player and was extremely competitive,” Paula Buscher said. “She was a point guard with a great deal of knowledge of the game and was an extension of the coaching staff on the floor. Her attention to detail and her work ethic will be a great asset to our program.”
Brooks joined the Braves with various personal instruction and organizational experiences under her belt including the coordination of Western State’s women’s basketball fundraiser, skills camps, AAU assistant coach and individual instruction sessions.
Basketball success runs in the family as her father is the boy’s basketball coach at Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo., and her brother Jason Sutherland was an All-Big 8 performer and two-time leading scorer under Norm Stewart at Missouri from 1993-97.
Andi will assist with game and practice preparation, working primarily with the guards. She also helps with recruiting and camps, while handling team travel.
In addition to her responsibilities with the team, Andi is currently completing work for her master’s degree, which she is expected to have completed by the spring of 2005.
Andi recently married Mike Brooks, who was a four-time letterwinner in football playing two years at Nebraska-Omaha and two years at Western State.