“Two things grab your attention when you meet Jeff Brooks.
“First is that NBA body. Brooks, Penn State’s freshman forward, stands 6-foot-8 and, according to his doctor back home in Louisville, Ky., could eventually get to 6-10. His reach, it seems, is endless, his movements light and easy.
“The other thing you notice isn’t as immediately obvious. But as the minutes pass Tuesday afternoon in the Lasch Football Building, where Penn State’s freshman athletes are being photographed, some unseen force, like an invisible tractor beam, draws people to Brooks.
“First it’s Drew Astorino, a freshman football player, whose shoulder pads are playfully slapped when Brooks reaches out with one of those long arms. Minutes later, Brooks is reclining on a chair in Lasch’s spacious lobby when defensive end Aaron Maybin, passing by, clasps his hand in greeting. Then Evelyn Lewis, a freshman on the women’s basketball team, playfully perches herself just over Brooks’ shoulder and waits for him to turn around.
“This big man on campus has been on campus for less than a month….”