Cowboy Basketball - A Manzer Family Tradition - Oklahoma State University Athletics

The word "family" is often used to describe what it's like to be part of Oklahoma State University and is especially so within the Cowboy basketball program. Brooks Manzer knows that better than most, as he is quite literally living out that family experience here on the OSU basketball team.

Brooks is a freshman walk-on guard from Edmond. He is the 13^th member of his family to attend Oklahoma State, including his father, Bryndon, who played under the legendary head coach Eddie Sutton from 1992-94. Brooks' grandfather, Lee, was a marketing professor on campus and the official scorekeeper for Cowboy home games for more 30 years, as well.

The Manzer family and Cowboy basketball have been intertwined for decades, and a new, exciting chapter has been added to that story with Brooks joining the team this year.

Brooks and his dad have always shared an extremely strong bond. The two love to compete with each other, often playing games of one-on-one when they were younger. Despite their competitive drive, Brooks knew he always had his dad's support, most often coming from the stands to watch him play growing up.

"Me and my dad have a very cool relationship," Brooks said. "We're kind of like best friends."

Throughout his senior year of high school at Edmond Memorial, Brooks was struggling to decide what to do for college. He was an accomplished baseball player to go alongside his basketball ability, however, was still unsure if continuing his student-athlete career was the right move.

After dealing with canceled seasons his junior year due to the initial COVID-19 outbreak and an ACL tear his senior year, Brooks said he began to feel a bit drained. Instead of trying to force any decision upon his son, Bryndon simply offered his full love and support in whatever path Brooks chose to travel down.

"I'm so fortunate," he said. "Most parents are the type to be like you need to play this sport or don't quit yet… (dad) always just told me, 'Do whatever makes you happy.'"

After arriving Oklahoma State, Brooks realized how special of an opportunity it was to follow his dad's footsteps and play for a program he had such close ties to his whole life. Bryndon often shared stories from his playing days as a Cowboy to his son, making it that much more unique that Brooks now gets to live those same experiences, just as his dad did.

"It's been cool, because we get to talk about our experiences together, how similar they are," Brooks explained. "Whether it be in the weight room or conditioning or on the court. It's just cool, because we get to talk about these shared experiences at the exact same place on the exact same court in the same town for the same team."

Out of all their common experiences, Brooks feels an immense amount of pride getting to play on Eddie Sutton Court, the exact same hardwood Bryndon and so many others competed on. Countless extraordinary and accomplished Cowboys have battled on that fabled court throughout its long history, making Brooks feel as if playing for something bigger than himself. Brooks also noted that him and Bryndon both think Eddie Sutton Court has a very particular smell to it, reminding the two of each other every time they walk into Gallagher-Iba Arena.

"All of those guys that I looked up to when they were playing… that's the exact same court that they played on," Brooks said. "And I think there's something really special about that. In the sense of that pride, to be out there in that jersey, it's still there."

Bryndon currently works for ESPN as a TV analyst, often calling and covering Big 12 basketball games and Brooks is unsure whether Lee will return to the sideline this season to continue his job as official scorekeeper due to the pandemic. Despite this, Brooks is still hoping for his dream scenario, in which both his dad and grandfather will be on the sideline one game to watch him play in GIA.

"I had a dream about this one time," he said. "I check into the game, and my dad is right there doing the game. Two or three seats down is my grandad, keeping the scorebook. And we're just having a moment to see three different generations of Manzers, who've all been to Oklahoma State. That would be a very special moment for me."

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Cowboy Basketball - A Manzer Family Tradition

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