“At first, everybody thought that it’s over, but [Brooks] refused to admit defeat, refused to not go,” D’Antoni said. “If anybody could’ve done it, it would’ve been him.”
D’Antoni said everyone on the boat is a great athlete, but Brooks and another Newport Harbor senior, J.P. Hogan, led the way.
“J.P. Hogan is going to Harvard,” D’Antoni said. “He’s an incredibly bright guy. He’s extremely mature for an 18-year-old. [He’s] a great problem solver and a great leader.”
Brooks will row for the University of Washington next year.
“I’ve invested a lot of personal capital on all of them,” D’Antoni said. “Seeing them succeed is really, really rewarding for me. They’ve done everything they can do in high school rowing now.”
NAC varsity eight: Kevin Cox (Corona del Mar senior headed to Princeton), Alex Burjakowsky (Northwood High senior headed to Orange Coast College), Ross Bell (Palos Verdes High senior headed to UC San Diego), Ben Gordon (University High senior headed to UC Berkeley), Garrett Rinden (Newport Harbor High senior headed to the University of Washington), Eric Chebil ( Mater Dei High senior headed to the University of Washington), J.P. Hogan (Newport Harbor senior headed to Harvard), A.J. Brooks (Newport Harbor senior headed to the University of Washington) and coxswain Michael Delahanty (Corona del Mar High sophomore).
NAC lightweight eight: Sean Martinez (junior, Mater Dei), Stuart Newsom (junior, Newport Harbor), Garrett Pickard (junior, Newport Harbor), John Hold (junior, Mater Dei), Cameron Zachary (junior, University High), Rory Kew (junior, Mater Dei), Connor Reid (Laguna Beach High senior headed to Northfield Mount Herman School), Morgan Boman (Corona del Mar High senior headed to Orange Coast College) and coxswain Alexa Moss (junior, Corona del Mar High).
