The new coach at Providence, Ed Cooley, can't wait to meet MarShon Brooks this week. No doubt he understands Brooks' high profile last season and his buzz as a Net rookie this summer helped him put together a super recruiting class, third in the nation behind Indiana and Arizona. Didn't hurt.

Brooks, who needed only two classes for his degree after last season, postponed graduation to work out for the draft. Now, back at Providence, he's only a few months away from fulfilling requirements for a degree in Social Science ...and  fulfilling a promise he made to his mother and himself.

The PC student newspaper has taken notice of both his success since leaving and now his return to academia.

• Marshon Brooks is Ready to Shine at the Next Level - Danny MacNamara - The Cowl