MAY 16, 11:45 A.M. – A source close to Steven Brooks told The Daily Orange recently that the Syracuse midfielder will undergo back surgery sometime this summer.

Syracuse head coach John Desko declined to speak about the specificity of Brooks’ injury and whether he is having surgery out of respect for Brooks’ privacy.

Efforts to reach Brooks and his family were unsuccessful. Mike Morrison, SU’s assistant director of athletic communications, neither confirmed nor denied Brooks’ surgery.

‘As far as we know, no determination has been made if his injury will require surgery or not,’ Morrison wrote in an e-mail.

Desko acknowledged Brooks’ back injury had been an ongoing problem for the SU midfielder all year. Brooks sat out the majority of the 2006 season due to another unrelated injury, this one involving his anterior cruciate ligament when the Orange hosted Army on Feb. 25, 2006.

‘It was difficult on everybody,’ Desko said. ‘He had high expectations for himself as far as his contributions to the team. It was frustrating for us as coaches and I’m sure it was frustrating for him. We know his potential and what he can add. He was physically unable to reach his potential.’

But Brooks still proved to be a valuable asset for SU this year. He scored 19 goals, which tied as the third-highest scorer for Syracuse alongside attackman Greg Niewieroski. He brought quick speed and strength at both hands to the midfield position.

Brooks’ best performances came during a three-week stretch that included matchups against Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Binghamton in March. He scored 11 goals in those three games.

‘That’s what he’s capable of when he’s healthy,’ Desko said. ‘He certainly can do that. He’s had a great outside shot and had great athletic ability. But he played on a more limited basis.’

Brooks scored only five more goals after the Binghamton game. Part of his struggles could be a product of his ongoing back injury.

‘A healthy Steven Brooks would’ve been a lot of things,’ Desko said. ‘He was one of our faster players at very good speed. Coming into the season, we’d use him offensively and defensively and we would have him on the wings and in man-up (situations).

‘He would play an awful lot of lacrosse. He’s similar to (former SU midfielder) Pat Perritt and he would stay on the field defensively and be a big threat offensively. He meant a lot to the team but the injuries limited him.’

Published on June 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm