Knox College Athletics

Brooke McKinney, a native of Clinton, Iowa, graduated from Knox in 1999 after a four-year career in basketball and women’s tennis. Brooke and her doubles partner Erin Hammes recorded the best doubles record in Knox history with 58 wins and 12 losses and helped lead the team to a third place finish in the Midwest Conference Championship by placing second in doubles. Individually, the three-year No. 1 singles player finished with a single record of 27-19.
           
In addition to excelling at tennis, Brooke led the Knox women' basketball team in scoring all four years, peaking at 18.3 points per game her senior year. Brooke was a three-time first-team All-Midwest Conference player and an honorable mention for All-American as a senior. In a game against Beloit College in 1999, she scored 37 points, the second highest in school history. What is most interesting about her basketball career is her ability to post impressive numbers in both scoring and assists. She currently holds the record for career points with 1,285 points, more than 300 over the next highest, and is the all-time leader in assists as well with 268.

Brooke worked as hard off the court as she did on it. She was named to the Academic All-Conference team twice, an accomplishment that requires a 3.2 grade point average and excellence in athletics.

Former Knox tennis coach Larry Davis called Brooke an intense competitor, and called Erin and Brooke the finest doubles players in the history of the school. Former Knox athletic director Harley Knosher said Brooke was outstanding at getting through defenses that were geared to stop her on the basketball court, and added that he does not think her scoring record will ever be broken. Knosher also noted that Brooke was an unselfish star who had incredible determination and focus. Former Knox basketball coach Amy Fort called Brooke the best women’s basketball player to go to Knox. When she first came to Knox, Brook was concerned about juggling two sports and her schoolwork, now six years after her graduation, it is crystal clear that she is undoubtedly one of the best two-sport athletes to ever play for the Prairie Fire.

Brooke holds an MA in Health Leisure/Sports Studies and a Coaching Certification from the University of Iowa. She was the Assistant Field Hockey Coach at Stanford and has worked as a counselor for people with disabilities.  Today she is the Assistant Athletic Director and Basketball Coach at Menlo, a private school in Atherton, California.