jodie meeks

Jodie Meeks Staying in NBA Draft

Press Release — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:18:50 -0700

LEXINGTON, Ky. - University of Kentucky All-American Jodie Meeks will forego his senior season and keep his name in this year's NBA Draft.

Meeks, a 6-4 guard, will be the first Wildcat underclassmen since Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo in 2006 to enter the NBA Draft.

He led the SEC and ranked eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game. He set the school record for points in a game (54 at Tennessee) and three-pointers in a season (117), while also shooting an SEC best 90.2 percent from the free throw line. Starting all 36 games this season, Meeks led the SEC in two other offensive categories including three-point field goal percentage (40.6) and three-point field goals per game (3.25).

"I want to thank the fans and the city of Lexington. They have been great and I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat," said Meeks. "I feel comfortable with my decision and I'm confident in my ability. My family and I talked over the weekend and decided this was the best decision."

A Second-Team All-American, Meeks had the top three scoring games nationally in regulation (54, 46, 45 points). He became the first player in SEC history to win SEC Player of the Week honors four times in a single-season.

Jodie Meeks to Enter Draft: Won't Hire Agent

Press Release — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:56:24 -0700

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks will submit his name to the National Basketball Association for its June draft, but will not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility to return to Kentucky next season.

Meeks, a 6-4 guard, led the SEC and ranked eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.7 ppg. He set the school record for points in a game (54 at Tennessee) and three-pointers in a season, (117) while also shooting an SEC best 90.2 percent from the free throw line. Starting all 36 games this season, Meeks led the SEC in two other offensive categories including three-point field goal percentage (40.6) and three-point field goals per game (3.25).

The NBA Draft is set for June 25. Underclassmen have until June 15 to remove their name from the

draft and retain their NCAA eligibility.

Kentucky: Team or One-Man Show?

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:17:47 -0800

It's getting harder to trust Billy Gillispie. Listen to the UK coach long enough, and you'll come away believing that the sky is green, unicorns are real, and the economy is doing just fine.

But there's one thing Gillispie can't sell me on - even with that power tie, firm handshake and Cheshire cat grin.

"This is Kentucky, not Jodie Meeks. This is not a one-man team."

Gillispie's now-famous halftime interview with ESPN's Jeannine Edwards on Jan. 27 during the Cats' battle with Ole Miss is where Gillispie dropped this revelation...and at the time it seemed legit. Meeks had managed only six points in the first half, and Kentucky still led. And although he would finish with 21, Kentucky would go on to lose that game, the first of a three-game losing streak. So maybe this wasn't just Jodie and four backup singers. Maybe the Cats truly needed a team effort to get victories.

Or maybe not.

One month after scorching Tennessee for a school-record 54 points, The Jodie Show delivered another heroic effort on Valentines Day, roasting Arkansas for an arena-record 45 points. Slicing and dicing through the Hogs' defense all afternoon, Meeks carried the Cats to a big road victory, moved them ever closer to the NCAA Tournament and also put a pretty sizable dent in Gillispie's whole "team" theory.

Meeks finished the game 17-24 from the field, including 7-12 from the three-point line. The rest of the team was 11-30, and you have to imagine there was some open looks in there, considering the attention being paid to #23. With the 23 he scored against Florida on Tuesday, Meeks now has 68 of the Cats' last 147 points. Who's second you ask? That would be junior PG Michael Porter...who has a grand total of 17 points in that span. 17!! Meeks usually hits that mark before the second TV timeout.

In all fairness, Meeks' explosion was needed on Saturday, with stud forward Patrick Patterson resting a sprained ankle on the bench. And lost among the commotion of Meek's baskets is that UK has righted themselves after that three-game skid, having won two straight to tie South Carolina for the SEC East lead.

But after Saturday, I'm not entirely sure we shouldn't change the mascot name to become the Kentucky Meeks. The season-long call for a third scorer to compliment Meeks and Patterson has gone unanswered, and at this point, it seems Gillispie is content if the other players just stay out of the way and don't screw things up for Jodie.

Look - I realize that in basketball, you have to feed the hot hand. And when a player is having the kind of afternoon Meeks was having, it's hard not to find yourself watching like a fan, even if you're on the floor. The season that Meeks has put together thus far is nothing short of amazing, and we should all be grateful for having witnessed it.

But don't tell me this team isn't Jodie and then everyone else. With the way he scores, Gillispie could have surrounded Meeks with a group of senior citizens using walkers on Saturday and it wouldn't have mattered.

For his part, Meeks has remained remarkably humble throughout his breakout season, constantly passing up chances to pat himself on the back while praising his teammates for their efforts and contributions. Right...like he needs the help.

Have you seen this guy on the court? He's freaking unstoppable! He rolls out of bed and scores 20. Rumor has it that UK put a lid on the basket during practice the other day to work on rebounding...and Jodie drained seven 3's right through it. He later scored 25 in a scrimmage using a medicine ball. He's so good, they should start charging the other players admission. Hey - if I have to pay for a ticket to watch him, so should Porter!

So next time Jodie has another scoring outburst, and he credits his teammates for it, don't listen to a word he says.

He learned from his coach.

Jodie Meeks: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:59:54 -0800

Jodie Meeks

College: Kentucky

Class: Junior

Position: SG

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 208lbs

Accolades: None

Scouting Report: A breakout performer his junior season.

Strengths: Fantastic shooter. Has deep range on his jumper. Can knock down shots with a defender in his face. Strong build. Good athlete. Explosive scorer. Great free throw shooter. Quick release on his jumper. Good experience playing three years in the SEC. Solid passer. Gets steals by jumping the passing lane. Good at drawing fouls.

Weaknesses: Will be short for an NBA wing player. Needs to work on his defense - has trouble staying in front of his man. Gambles too much on defense. Needs to improve his ball-handling skills. Other than scoring doesn’t bring too much else to the table. Turns the ball over too much. Can be too reliant on the three-pointer - about half of his shots are from out beyond the arc. Was basically nothing more than an average player until his junior year.

Projected 2009 Draft Range: Early second round pick to undrafted.

Consensus: Jodie Meeks has definitely had an outstanding junior season in Lexington. However, he doesn’t project to be more than a role player at best in the NBA. He could fill the role of a long-range bomber off a bench in the NBA, but probably he’ll have to earn his keep in the minor leagues or Europe.

Stats: Jodie Meeks Stats

NBA Draft on CollegeHoops.net

More 2009 NBA Draft Profiles

Current NBA Mock Draft Position

Complete NBA Draft coverage

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System w/ 2008 Equivalents

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential - Michael Beasley

= Potential NBA All-Star - Derrick Rose

= Consistent NBA Starter - Brook Lopez

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter - Russell Westbrook

= Career Reserve - Roy Hibbert

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man - JR Giddens

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues - Drew Neitzel

CollegeHoops.net Player of the Week: Jodie Meeks

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:08:58 -0800

With other sports mercifully coming to an end, basketball is now taking its rightful place atop the sports landscape. Thanks to this week's Player of the Week, the national media had reason to give college hoops a serious look.

You all know who this week's winner will be.. so we'll start with some of the runner up candidates. Jeff Teague, the reigning CHN POW, was money once again for new #1 Wake Forest. He averaged 26.5 ppg in wins over BC and Clemson. Another ACC guard, FSU's Toney Douglas, averaged 23 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals in a pair of wins. Early in the week, Terrence Williams was a one man show for Louisville, approaching a triple-double with totals of 24 points, 16 boards, and 8 assists. Yesterday, Nick Calathes put up similar stats of 28 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists as Florida rolled to their 10th straight win. But CollegeHoops.net's Player of the Week is none other than Kentucky's Jodie Meeks.

By now, you know all about Meeks' exploits.. the 54 points, the 10 threes, the Kentucky Records, the 25.7 scoring average, the 9 wins out of 10 for the Wildcats. So what can I add to the mix? Nothing really, which is why this is the shortest CHN Player of the Week article of the season.

Finalists:

- Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

- Toney Douglas, Florida State

- Terrence Williams, Louisville

CollegeHoops.net Player of the Week Archive

- Jan 12: Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

- Jan 5: Tyrese Rice, Boston College

- Dec 29: Alex Ruoff, West Virginia

- Dec 22: AJ Price, UCONN

- Dec 15: Dionte Christmas, Temple

- Dec 8: Stephen Curry, Davidson

- Dec 1: Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

- Nov 24: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Clip of the Day: Jodie Meeks (In Case You Forgot)

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:11:31 -0800

Clip of the Day

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day. We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

JODIE MEEKS: RECORD BREAKER

I've been meaning to post this for a few days.. highlights of Jodie Meeks setting UK's scoring & 3-point record

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

A Chat with Orestes Meeks, Father of UK's Record Breaker

Jason Brubaker — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:35:00 -0800

It’s no secret that Jodie Meeks has been having a breakout year. Kentucky’s junior shooting guard was averaging 24. 2 points per game entering Tuesday night’s showdown against SEC favorite Tennessee, and was fifth in the country in scoring. With a number of long, rangy, athletic wingmen, the Vols figured to give Meeks some trouble in getting his shot off.

Wrong.

Instead, Meeks dominated the Vols from start to finish, dropping a school-record 54 points on a school-record 10 three-pointers. Overall, Meeks was 15-22 from the field, 10-15 from three-point range, and 14-14 from the foul line. Meeks broke the single game mark of Dan Issel, who scored 53 points against Mississippi 39 years ago, also breaking the school record of nine three-pointers held by Tony Delk (and also by Meeks, who drained nine against Appalachian State earlier this season). For good measure, as if torching the nets weren’t enough, Meeks also added eight rebounds, four assists and a steal as UK smoked the Vols 90-72..

In a nationally-televised game on the road, Meeks quickly leapfrogged into the National Player of the Year discussion with his epic performance.

We caught up with Jodie’s dad, Orestes, to get his thoughts on his son’s record-setting night.

CHN: What was going through your mind as you watched Jodie? At what point did you start thinking he may break the single game scoring record?

Orestes Meeks: I really didn't know anything about the record. I was focusing on us winning the game. The clock could not move fast enough. The last six minutes seemed to take like 20 minutes!

CHN: What does it feel like to know that Jodie now holds multiple records at the winningest college basketball program in history, and to know that his name will forever be in the record books?

OM: I think it is surreal. He has managed to come back from the injury last year, and now is playing more like we expected all along. We really don't spend much time thinking of records, but more about “how can this team go to a Final Four? How can this team win games?”

CHN: How did you keep Jodie's spirits up last year when he was battling numerous injuries? Did he ever get down on himself or grow frustrated?

OM: It was very frustrating to him and to our family. Yes he did get pretty down sometimes. He really had to rely on his faith and his family to pull through it.

CHN: Did you or Jodie ever expect a breakout season of this magnitude?

OM: Absolutely! We knew he could play. It has been a matter of just getting the opportunity.

CHN: ESPN’s Brad Nessler said Jodie should be included in National Player of the Year talks now. In your opinion, is Jodie the National Player of the Year so far?

OM: I’m not really looking at that either. That will be decided by the same sports people that have doubted him his whole career. I think his focus is and has to be, how can we win games? What is our path to winning games?

CHN What was it like watching Jodie get mobbed by his teammates last night at the buzzer, clearly showing the respect and love they have for him?

OM: That was really special. That really showed they were a team and not a collection of individuals. His teammates, rightfully, felt the team accomplished a good quality win. I loved it!

Jodie Meeks: Exceeding Expectations

Jason Brubaker — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:13:40 -0800

I was going to start this column with some kind of witty, creative statement...something along the lines of Jodie Meeks certainly isn't meek, or Meeks is making opponents weak... something like that.

But to get too wordy or creative might have taken away from what the main focus is...namely that Jodie Meeks is pretty freakin' good.

The UK junior put up a career high 46 points Saturday against Appalachian State, the 3rd time this season he has scored more than 35 points. Through 11 games, Meeks is averaging 24 points per game, and six times this season, he has hit at least three 3-pointers in a game, including the school-record tying nine he drained against Appalachian State.

Want some more stats? According to the UK Media Relations Department, the 46 points was the most points scored by an SEC player since some guy named Shaquille O'Neal was roaming the baselines for LSU and scored 53 in 1990. It was also the most points scored by a UK player since Dan Issel dropped 47 in a 1970 game, and it was the most points ever scored by a UK player at Freedom Hall.

But beyond the stats, perhaps what is most impressive about Meeks this season is that no one was totally sure what he was capable of doing. He had a solid freshman season, coming on incredibly strong at the end to put together six straight games with double figures. He looked to be a terrific athlete who could get his own shot at any time, and Cats fans were anxious to see how he would develop as a sophomore.

Then, plans changed a bit. Riddled by nagging injuries, Meeks played in only 11 games as a sophomore, and never more than three in a row. He did drop 21 points in December games against both Houston and Florida International, but hit double figures only once the rest of the season, and didn't play after Feb. 16. He put together unimpressive stat lines like the 1-6 from the field in a loss to Florida, a game in which he also fouled out of. In his last five games, he would go 9-34 from the field and average just 6.4 points per game. Meeks' talent was never questioned, but some began to wonder if these injuries were going to constantly nag him through his UK career.

With seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley graduated, and classmate Derrick Jasper transferring, Meeks knew he would be counted on heavily to shore up an inexperienced backcourt. Coming into the season, UK fans knew they had a rock in the post in Patrick Patterson, and figured if they could get some consistency from a healthy Meeks on the perimeter, they would have a pretty good 1-2 punch.

Needless to say, they've been pleased so far. Meeks has reminded fans that when he's healthy, he's nearly unguardable. A ridiculous athlete, Meeks gets terrific hangtime on his jump shot, and when combined with his quick release, it's nearly impossible to block. He also has the strength to take hits driving to the basket and still finish, and he plays with a ton of energy when he's on the floor...bouncing around like a pinball and turning broken offensive sets into made baskets for the Cats. He's also carried that energy over to the defensive end, where he's averaging nearly two steals per game. He still gambles too much on occasion, but when the guy is making string music on the offensive end, he can be forgiven for a few defensive errors.

He's shooting 46% from the field and 40% from 3-point range, pretty solid numbers for a guy who has arms that look like they belong on a linebacker. In fact, if you take away the absurdly poor shooting performances against UNC (5-20), and Miami (4-17) - games in which the entire team played poorly - Meeks is shooting a robust 52% from the field. When you add that to the 68% Patterson is shooting from the field, you've got a 1-2 punch that's as effective as any in the nation.

Of course, there will be some that point out Meeks' 46 points came against a lowly Appalachian State team, or that his worst two shooting performances have come against arguably the best two teams on their schedule thus far. Of course, many of these same people couldn't score 46 points if they were locked in a gym by themselves for a week, and they wouldn't know a jump stop from a bus stop, so their opinions amount to very little. Scoring 46 points in a game, at any level, takes incredible skill and is a feat that recent UK greats like Tayshaun Prince, Keith Bogans, Gerald Fitch, Antoine Walker and Jamal Mashburn never accomplished. Furthermore, averaging 24 points a game, even when teams are gunning to stop you, just shows Meeks isn't going to sit back and pat himself on the back after a couple good games, and that his scoring outbursts aren't flukes.

So the fact remains that Meeks has exceeded expectations for even the most optimistic of UK fans so far this season. For a guy who hadn't had any live game action in eight months, for a guy who was suddenly thrust from role player to star because of roster upheaval, he's been great. And he doesn't look to be slowing down in the least.

So I'll keep working on some kind of creative one-liners to describe Meeks. The rest of you can just sit back and enjoy the show.

Jodie Meeks: UK Records

Press Release — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:00:30 -0800

Meeks broke a bunch of UK records in his 46 point outburst this weekend.. some notes from UK Media Relations:

- Meeks recorded career highs in points (46), field goals (14), three-point field goals (9), three-point field goals attempted (14) and tied a season high in steals (4) leading Kentucky to a 93-69 win over Appalachian State in Louisville

- Meeks' 46 points were the most ever scored by a Wildcat in Freedom Hall, which spans 73 games and over 30 years and the sixth most scored in a game by a Wildcat

- It was the most points by a Wildcat since Dan Issel notched 47 at Alabama in 1970

- It was also the most by a Southeastern Conference player since Shaqille O'Neal scored 53 against Arkansas State on Dec. 18, 1990

- Not only did the junior from Norcross, Ga. smash his previous scoring mark, but he also tied the school record for three-pointers with nine, held by Tony Delk. Delk accomplished the feat against TCU?on Jan. 20, 1996.