Brooks, a high profile recruit out of Franklin High School in Seattle, "earned just about every honor possible" while leading his team to the Washington 4A State Championship as a senior. In that championship game, Brooks went head-to-head with future Gonzaga Bulldog turned Charlotte Bobcat, Adam Morrison. Brooks finished with 38 points in the 67-55 win. Morrison finished with 37 in the loss but was still named Tournament MVP after matching the then four-game scoring total.

Brooks finished his college career at the University of Oregon in 2007. He was a four-year starter for the Ducks, and finished his career with 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. In his first year at Oregon, Brooks took over the starting point guard role previously occupied by current NBA guard Luke Ridnour. Despite missing 10 games with a broken bone in his wrist, Brooks earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. Brooks was named honorable mention all-Pac-10 for his efforts as a sophomore, a season which included a 34 point effort against USC. After a disappointing junior year at Oregon culminating in a suspension during a game against Washington, Brooks rebounded to become one of the leading candidates for Pac-10 Player of the Year.