Every time Saint Louis’ Brooke Flowers steps into the gym for practice, she goes to each player, coach and trainer and gives them a hug with a smile on her face. Only after she finishes does she pick up a basketball.
Flowers described her fifth-grade self as the “furthest thing from natural when it came to basketball.” She had a tendency to travel every time she got the ball and as soon as the ball touched her hands shouts of “pass it, pass it” would fill the gym.
While Flowers may not have been a natural on the court, her ball-handling skills would soon grow to match the energy she brought to the court from Day 1. Despite her lack of early success, Flowers enjoyed the social aspect and camaraderie of basketball after only participating in individual sports, including tennis and track and field, prior. Being a part of a team is what kept her coming back to the gym.
Flowers, a St. Louis native, graduated from Metro Academic and Classical High School in 2018 as the state of Missouri’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,563), blocks (803) and double-doubles (87) in addition to holding the school- and conference record in scoring, with 2,045 career points. She also led the state in blocks in all four years of high school and set the record for third-most blocks in Missouri girls’ basketball history by blocking 16 shots in a single game.
Even with a successful high school career, Flowers came to Saint Louis with little to no expectation of what she would accomplish.
“I was not sure what was going to happen or how things were going to go because you can be a great player in high school, but everybody in college was a wonderful player in high school,” Flowers told The Next. “So you never know how things are going to translate, I came in with an open mind, just thankful for the opportunity.”
Her height, length, athletic build and success in the classroom stood out to Saint Louis head coach Lisa Stone from the beginning of the recruiting process.
Flowers started her career at Saint Louis off strong, averaging 8.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, enough to earn Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team and All-Defensive team honors after the 2018-19 season. After taking a step back in her sophomore year, she rebounded and has averaged a double-double each of the last two seasons.
She is currently averaging 10.9 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, the latter of which is good for third in the nation.
“You can’t teach 6’5, she’s always been a superior shot blocker and rim protector and great defender,” Stone told The Next. “But she’s always willing to learn, she’s had a few different post coaches in her position but she’s gravitated toward being great. She’s not going to be someone who’s going to push you around, but she’s going to be someone that can go around you.”
Stone also praised Flowers’ basketball IQ, noting that if you ask her about a scouting report, Flowers will know even the opposing point guard’s tendencies.
Flowers said that she has a defensive mindset and believes her offensive skillset, which took time to begin to flourish, is still a work in progress. She credits her teammates, including guards Ciaja Harbison and Julia Martinez, for putting her in the right position to score and allowing her offensive success to happen.
“[Ciaja] drives and she attracts so much attention and then she’ll throw me some shovel passes or dump passes,” Flowers said. “And Julia, she has a good eye for threading the needle and knowing where to put the ball and how to get the pass in the right place.”
On Jan. 19, Flowers became Saint Louis’ all-time blocks leader, tallying her 218th career block against St. Bonaventure.
“If someone told me as a freshman that this is where I would be as a senior, I don’t think I would believe them,” Flowers said. “I definitely exceeded my expectations. And sometimes I still can’t believe it.”
Brooke Flowers blocks Taylor Jameson's shot.
Brooke Flowers blocks Taylor Jameson’s shot on Feb. 23, 2022. Photo Credit: Domenic Allegra.
Her teammate, Myriama Smith Traore, referred to Flowers’ blocks as an “x-factor statistic” and believes they are a product of Flowers’ extra hustle, extra heart and drive to protect the paint.
While it’s not typically part of her skillset, Flowers hasn’t missed a three-point attempt in her career, sinking all three of them, one in each of her first three collegiate seasons. Each made three came in a win, Jan. 13, 2019, against Dayton; Dec. 30, 2019, against Indiana State; and Jan. 24, 2021, against Massachusetts.
“It’s a running joke in practice because we’ll practice and sometimes I’ll knock ’em down and I’ll be like, ‘we all know who the real shooter is’ because I’m 100% in my career,” Flowers said with a laugh.
While Flowers isn’t sure if she’ll attempt a three this season, Stone believes she will find just the right moment to.
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