NBA.com Release
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine alumnus Scott Brooks, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, will coach the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla.
Brooks earned the honor as the Thunder has clinched the best record in the conference through Feb. 15 by virtue of a victory over Utah last Friday night.
Brooks played for UCI from 1985-87, averaging 23.8 points as a senior in 1986-87. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, including 1994 with the NBA-champion Houston Rockets. He still holds the UCI record for career free-throw percentage at .859.
On the night that the Bren Events Center opened, Jan. 8, 1987, Brooks scored 43 points as UCI defeated Utah State, 118-96. He scored 41 points in a win at Pacific later that season.
As a senior, he was named first team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now Big West Conference), All-District and honorable mention All-America.
Brooks was inducted into UCI's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
Official Release From NBA.com
Thunder's Brooks earns spot as West coach for All-Star Game
By Official release
NEW YORK -- Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference All-Stars for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Amway Center in Orlando.
With Oklahoma City's 101-87 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday, the Thunder (21-6, .778) has clinched the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 15.
Brooks earned Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for games played in December/January, and his team owns a 9-1 mark at home.
Brooks has led the Thunder to back-to-back playoff appearances (2010, 2011) for the first time since 1997 and 1998. Brooks, the 2009-10 NBA Coach of the Year, owns a 148 -112 (.569) career record as a head coach.
San Antonio's Gregg Popovich coached the West All-Stars last season.
The coach of the East All-Stars will be determined by the team with the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 15. The Boston Celtics' Doc Rivers, who coached last year's East squad, is not eligible to coach this year's All-Star Game.
The 2012 NBA All-Star Game will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.
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