Jodie Meeks

[Will Lavender]

Quick, random thought.

Jodie Meeks had a very solid freshman year. For a stretch late in the season, he was the SEC's best freshman.

But he needs to get better at scoring around the basket. Consistently last year, culminating with that shot he missed in the MSU overtime, he missed easy shots around the hoop. A guy of his size, with his athleticism, needs to be able to score around the basket. This was perhaps the best part of Kelenna's game: his ability to take punishment but still score.

I'd like to see Jodie's 3-point percentage above 35 next season. But more than that, I'd like to see him turn into a true slashing scorer, and to do that he has to be able to score over and around the strong guys.

[mrmeeks]

Quick, random thought.

Jodie Meeks had a very solid freshman year. For a stretch late in the season, he was the SEC's best freshman.

But he needs to get better at scoring around the basket. Consistently last year, culminating with that shot he missed in the MSU overtime, he missed easy shots around the hoop. A guy of his size, with his athleticism, needs to be able to score around the basket. This was perhaps the best part of Kelenna's game: his ability to take punishment but still score.

I'd like to see Jodie's 3-point percentage above 35 next season. But more than that, I'd like to see him turn into a true slashing scorer, and to do that he has to be able to score over and around the strong guys.

Hey Will, hope all is well. I agree and would not be one to hype any player especially Jodie, but wanted to understand some of your post. I agree finishing around the basket is important. From my conversations with Jodie he was fouled plenty and my response to him was 'welcome to college freshy.' He will continue to get stronger and faster and take my word for it he can and will finish. The 3 point statement was a good target. It is my understanding he finished at 36% for the season, and 41.7% in SEC play which is probably a good indicator since he played spotty early on.
I know he understands how to play in a team environment so I believe his shooting percentages will increase as he takes more shots in the lane.
I had a very interesting email from one of the analyst that said Jodie was not one of the possible three NBA prospects on the team. Joe, Derrick, and Pat. Maybe Alex. No Jodie.
This is fun to watch happen all over again. The difference now is this is not Norcross. This is Kentucky, and Jodie will have all of the support he needs if he performs. Here's to a great season next year for all of our players...........O

[Terry L. Wildcat]

mrmeeks, Thanks for stopping by and I hope you and your family are having a wonderful summer...counting down the days in Colorado.

[WildcatRick]

Hey Will, hope all is well. I agree and would not be one to hype any player especially Jodie, but wanted to understand some of your post. I agree finishing around the basket is important. From my conversations with Jodie he was fouled plenty and my response to him was 'welcome to college freshy.' He will continue to get stronger and faster and take my word for it he can and will finish. The 3 point statement was a good target. It is my understanding he finished at 36% for the season, and 41.7% in SEC play which is probably a good indicator since he played spotty early on.
I know he understands how to play in a team environment so I believe his shooting percentages will increase as he takes more shots in the lane.
I had a very interesting email from one of the analyst that said Jodie was not one of the possible three NBA prospects on the team. Joe, Derrick, and Pat. Maybe Alex. No Jodie.
This is fun to watch happen all over again. The difference now is this is not Norcross. This is Kentucky, and Jodie will have all of the support he needs if he performs. Here's to a great season next year for all of our players...........O

Good to see you back around, O!!:thumbup:

I think Jodie did a fine job of transition from the HS game to college. Bigger and better things to come for/from him, IMO. Wouldn't put too much stock in that analyst.

[Will Lavender]

Hey Will, hope all is well. I agree and would not be one to hype any player especially Jodie, but wanted to understand some of your post. I agree finishing around the basket is important. From my conversations with Jodie he was fouled plenty and my response to him was 'welcome to college freshy.' He will continue to get stronger and faster and take my word for it he can and will finish. The 3 point statement was a good target. It is my understanding he finished at 36% for the season, and 41.7% in SEC play which is probably a good indicator since he played spotty early on.
I know he understands how to play in a team environment so I believe his shooting percentages will increase as he takes more shots in the lane.
I had a very interesting email from one of the analyst that said Jodie was not one of the possible three NBA prospects on the team. Joe, Derrick, and Pat. Maybe Alex. No Jodie.
This is fun to watch happen all over again. The difference now is this is not Norcross. This is Kentucky, and Jodie will have all of the support he needs if he performs. Here's to a great season next year for all of our players...........O

Thanks for the response, Mr. Meeks.

I really wasn't aware that Jodie was over 35% last season. (That's what you get for posting without stats.) I knew he shot very well late in the year, but I would've thought the slow start might have kept his percentage down.

Regardless, Jodie's a fine shooter. I'm far from an NBA analyst, but I truly believe Jodie is a future pro. He has such explosive athleticism and quickness. Many UK fans believe he'll be the best player on next year's team, and I'm one of them. If you're the best player on a team like Kentucky, you're going to make money playing basketball somewhere.

The reference point I have for Jodie, as I said above, is Kelenna, who of course just signed a very nice contract. Kelenna, when he was on, was tremendous around the hoop. That is what Jodie is lacking right now, in my uninformed opinion; it's what's keeping him from being a first round pick.

All of this is sort of unfair, considering Jodie has played just one year. But I think we're going to have to count on him this year more than you normally would a sophomore because of our frontcourt thinness. To get him into that 15-17 ppg game range, which I think he can get to, he's going to have to do a lot of his damage within 5 feet of the bucket.

[matt colvin]

Hey Will, hope all is well. I agree and would not be one to hype any player especially Jodie, but wanted to understand some of your post. I agree finishing around the basket is important. From my conversations with Jodie he was fouled plenty and my response to him was 'welcome to college freshy.' He will continue to get stronger and faster and take my word for it he can and will finish. The 3 point statement was a good target. It is my understanding he finished at 36% for the season, and 41.7% in SEC play which is probably a good indicator since he played spotty early on.
I know he understands how to play in a team environment so I believe his shooting percentages will increase as he takes more shots in the lane.
I had a very interesting email from one of the analyst that said Jodie was not one of the possible three NBA prospects on the team. Joe, Derrick, and Pat. Maybe Alex. No Jodie.
This is fun to watch happen all over again. The difference now is this is not Norcross. This is Kentucky, and Jodie will have all of the support he needs if he performs. Here's to a great season next year for all of our players...........O


First off, it is great to hear from you Mr. Meeks!!! Always enjoy your point of view, as you articulate it clearly and with class.

Second, I'm extremely excited about The new staff and the direction of this program. We're on the rise big-time, and we'll back to our position of elite in the next 2-3 years for sure.

From all accounts that I've heard, and especially from what I've seen of Jodie, he will thrive under Gillispie. I'm not saying this just because you posted either. He seems dedicated, hard-working, and you can just tell that his head is always in the game. He has a good knack for the game. Obviously his athleticism has and will serve him well.

I agree with your statement about his shooting. He really came on in the sec. We have to keep in mind it was just his freshman year, and as you said, "welcome to college freshy". Well guess what Mr. Meeks, Jodie isn't a freshman any more, and I have a feeling that he will be able to apply his learning experiences to the court this year.

As for the NBA stuff, I wouldn't worry about it. Who would have thought that Chuck Hayes could have started for an NBA team? I certainly didn't, and I love Chuck. Jodie will be projected to play at a position that is highly competitive in the pros, but he's as athletic as you'll find at that position. We'll see just how good he can shoot it this year, and the new offense will better allow him to showcase the rest of his game.

In short :), Jodie had an outstanding freshman year, and I'm very excited about his sophomore year!

And thanks for posting!

Go Cats :widcat::widcat::widcat:

[TransientAlum]

Yet another analyst whose opinion just lost all merit.

Seems there are more who UK people don't respect than ones we do respect. Most with good cause.

However, he is only a sophomore. Whatever is said about him now, unless he plans on leaving early, matters about as much as this post.

[WildcatRick]

I'm not sure what this so called analyst was watching, but that view seems way off to me and varies from everything you read about Jodie from the national media.

[WildcatDan]

I have said it before, but I am excited to see what Gillispie will do with that Warp Drive that Jodie kicks in to get past defenders. I have never seen anyone move faster with the ball than he does (and apparently neither had those guys he went blowing past on the court).

Will, I don't remember Jodie missing a glaring number of shots around the basket, but he did miss a couple that would have been huge makes and I think that is why it stands out in our memory.

Really looking forward to seeing Jodie this year! I think he is going to be incredible!

[TrueblueCATfan]

Yet another analyst whose opinion just lost all merit.

Seems there are more who UK people don't respect than ones we do respect. Most with good cause.

However, he is only a sophomore. Whatever is said about him now, unless he plans on leaving early, matters about as much as this post.

I agree.....and good to see you post again Mr Meeks

[Will Lavender]

Will, I don't remember Jodie missing a glaring number of shots around the basket, but he did miss a couple that would have been huge makes and I think that is why it stands out in our memory.

It certainly wasn't glaring, but it may be holding him back a bit. The only thing that's holding him back, that I can see.

In the last month or so of the season, Jodie was getting most of his points on threes and free throws. Very rarely would he take the ball from the wing, attack and score. I'd like to see him add that to his arsenal. If it happens, he has all the other skills to become not just a very good player, but a great one. And he's one of those kids who's got the talent and heart to put the team on his back.

[CatFanInTheBathtub]

I'd also like to say it's good to hear from Mr. Meeks again....one of the most interesting points of view on this forum for sure.

On to Jodie. I'm not sure if he'll be our "best" player this year or will need to be. I think that title is either Crawford or Bradley's to lose, as they are BY FAR our two most experienced players. those are the two that I think we actually NEED production and improvement out of to be successful. At the same time, I think Jodie has a monster year. I also think he'll be option #1 late in close games when we need to score. the kid has the cliche' icewater in the veins and is going to hit the freethrow(s) when he's fouled...he's already proven he can do that. (ahem.....Ramel)
I also look forward to Jodie possibly leading this team in steals. Let's not forget how his lightning speed will translate to defense even more when he starts getting those big minutes. It's seriously going to be a dunk-a-thon with Jodie snagging all those lazy halfcourt passes.

[poodoo]

He will continue to get stronger and faster and take my word for it he can and will finish. The 3 point statement was a good target. It is my understanding he finished at 36% for the season, and 41.7% in SEC play which is probably a good indicator since he played spotty early on. QUOTE by mrmeeks
____________________________

Right on, Mr. Meeks (CLASS ACT). :) Also, as I see it, even the 36% three-point percentage is actually a quite respectable one for a freshman. Jodie's percentage in the much tougher SEC play, though, is OUTSTANDING and should be a much better indicator of what we can hope to get from him this coming season, as you say.

Along with others on this thread, I did not see Jodie "consistently" missing around the basket. Too, :thumbdn::thumbdn: to the analyst's words in the e-mail, and we all know that his words mean absolutely NOTHING (and I like matt colvin's reference to Chuck Hayes in that regard). Finally, :thumbup::thumbup: to Will's second post in which he states that he believes Jodie will be a "future pro." While his words also don't mean that will be the case, I definitely side with Will on that one. :)

It is SO GOOD to see you here again, Mr. Meeks. Also, may Jodie have still another fine season--and an even better one as a sophomore, which I feel will certainly be the case. :) How I look forward to it! GO CATS! GO BILLY G! GO JODIE!

[KYISSUPREME]

Nice to hear from you, Mr. Meeks. You and your son are both class acts, and are an asset to the University of Kentucky. For my two cents worth, I think that Jodie was the only player at the end of the year that showed a killer instinct. And that is what we haven't had in some time. The improvement between freshman and sophomore years is usually the most significant, and that's what I look for with Jodie. I think he will be the leader on next years team, and will be the guy we want to have the ball at the end of close games. I think Jodie and Coach Gillispie were made for each other. I think that in time, we will see Jodie evolve into the best shooting guard we have had since Tony Delk. I feel that Jodie is that good. My dad is also very high on Jodie. He says that he showed more promise as a freshman than most he can remember, and he has been closely following UK ball for at least 50 years. That is quite a compliment, in my book.

[lribookend]

Thanks for posting, Mr. Meeks. It must be difficult listening to so many people discussing your son, without becoming defensive. Everyone seems to know what is going to happen from this year's team...except me. Usually when there is a coaching change, some players blossom and some don't. Those that don't sometimes leave. I hope that everyone will improve and be happy in their role, but it may not happen.
I think Jodie would have had a great year coming up, whether Coach Smith had stayed, or not. His talent really showed last year, and nothing I have seen or read from the new coach makes me think that Jodie won't be a top contributor this year with his style, athleticism, desire, and talent. But I really think the scoring will be very balanced this year, with maybe everyone averaging less than 15 points. However, on any given night, if a player gets hot, I think he will stay in the game a little longer under Gillispie than maybe they would have under Smith. Guess we will find out soon.

[Will Lavender]

Everyone seems to know what is going to happen from this year's team...except me.

I haven't seen anybody say they know anything about anything. It's all opinion.

I do not believe, however, that the players are going to undergo any Peter Parkesque, superhuman metamorphoses just because Billy Gillispie is on the sideline. What we saw last year is a good indication of what kinds of players these kids are. Will they improve? Of course. But there are things they need to work on, each one of them, and there are players who, to borrow a term from Peter Parker's uncle, have a "great responsibility" because of their immense talent. Jodie is one of them.

[Will Lavender]

Just saw Spider-Man 3 with my son. :icon_mrgreen:

[lribookend]

I haven't seen anybody say they know anything about anything. It's all opinion.

I do not believe, however, that the players are going to undergo any Peter Parkesque, superhuman metamorphoses just because Billy Gillispie is on the sideline. What we saw last year is a good indication of what kinds of players these kids are. Will they improve? Of course. But there are things they need to work on, each one of them, and there are players who, to borrow a term from Peter Parker's uncle, have a "great responsibility" because of their immense talent. Jodie is one of them.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Posters routinely "predict" what our record will be, how far we will go in the tournament, who will have a breakout year, etc, etc. Certainly it is all opinion. But when expressed with a degree of certainty, it implies a knowledge of what is to come. That is the point I was trying to make. I have no strong feelings about who will score "x" number of points, or who will have a breakout year, or who is going to struggle. Past performance is always a good predictor of future performance....but sometimes, we are surprised when there is significant deviation from the prior year. I don't think we can say that one player or another MUST have a great year for us to be successful, because that implies a knowledge of what the other players on the team are capable of producing. I, for one, have no such knowledge. But my peers seem to have more insight than I do. So perhaps they are allowed to speak with more certainty.

[Will Lavender]

I don't think we can say that one player or another MUST have a great year for us to be successful, because that implies a knowledge of what the other players on the team are capable of producing.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

We'll revisit it at the end of the year. Feel free to come back in April and tell me if I'm wrong. I'll stand by it, though: If guys like Meeks and Crawford don't have stellar offensive years, then this team will struggle--maybe mightily.

Does anyone really disagree with that? I mean really, how profound of a statement is that? I would think, given how thin our frontcourt is, that it's pretty much something that most here would agree with.

[DCWildcat]

NBA scouts are funny to me. If a player comes into college as a super-highly touted player, then disappears, NBA scouts will desperately cling to their high school rankings and claim that he still has an NBA future. On the reverse, if a player comes into college less highly touted--even if he's a top 50 or top 100 player--unless that player has an Acie Law/Juan Dixon/Aaron Grey-esque career, NBA scouts are VERY reluctant to say he'll ever have NBA potential.
More than anything, this is probably due to scouts just going by what they remember from early on.

Anyone who watched 2 UK games last year should know that Jodie Meeks is a better NBA prospect than Crawford. As a freshman, his decision-making, ballhandling, and passing were all better than Crawford's. His athleticism blows Crawford's out of the water. Perhaps most importantly, Meeks improved a staggering amount over the season; Crawford has improved roughly the same in 3 seasons than Meeks did in one. No informed scout can possibly consider Joe, now a senior, a better prospect than Jodie. There's just no way.

My only concern with Jodie Meeks is fan expectations. Over on TCP, there've been serious posts claiming he'll be better than Mashburn. Jodie had a great, but not world-ending freshman year, yet people seem to think it was the latter. No matter how Meeks does, he's going to disappoint some of those people, and I hope that doesn't get to him.

[DCWildcat]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

We'll revisit it at the end of the year. Feel free to come back in April and tell me if I'm wrong. I'll stand by it, though: If guys like Meeks and Crawford don't have stellar offensive years, then this team will struggle--maybe mightily.

Does anyone really disagree with that? I mean really, how profound of a statement is that? I would think, given how thin our frontcourt is, that it's pretty much something that most here would agree with.

No. With Morris gone, and Meeks and crawford struggling, how could we possibly have any kind of a good year on offense? Bradley would have to score >25 a game, and Legion and Patterson would have to pick up an awful lot of slack for freshmen to overcome that.

[UKManGillispieFan71]

It seems that we all spend quiet a bit of time discussing the offensive aspect of this coming years squad, and who will be lighting up the scoreboard in order for us to be successful. The biggest transition for this squad is going to come on the defensive side of the floor, which I think will dictate who is able to stay on the floor to contribute offensively. Guys like Ramel and Joe, who have had the principles of the Ball Line ingrained in them for the past several years will need to "unlearn" those philosiphies in favor of a more gambling style of aggressive man to man. I beleive this is the area where Jodie will shine through the brightest. I loved what I saw from him late last season in terms of his aggression on D. Jodie carried us in the late stages of the loss to MS in the SEC Tournament. Most fans remember him missing the layup, I remember the steals and the deflections. Defense is the key to any succesful offense, especialy one that wants to push the ball in transition. Jodie has all of the tools to excel in both areas.

[Will Lavender]

It seems that we all spend quiet a bit of time discussing the offensive aspect of this coming years squad, and who will be lighting up the scoreboard in order for us to be successful. The biggest transition for this squad is going to come on the defensive side of the floor, which I think will dictate who is able to stay on the floor to contribute offensively. Guys like Ramel and Joe, who have had the principles of the Ball Line ingrained in them for the past several years will need to "unlearn" those philosiphies in favor of a more gambling style of aggressive man to man. I beleive this is the area where Jodie will shine through the brightest. I loved what I saw from him late last season in terms of his aggression on D. Jodie carried us in the late stages of the loss to MS in the SEC Tournament. Most fans remember him missing the layup, I remember the steals and the deflections. Defense is the key to any succesful offense, especialy one that wants to push the ball in transition. Jodie has all of the tools to excel in both areas.

Good post.

Because of our lack of offensive stars, we're going to almost have to be a defensive-oriented team. Many times the last couple of years I've looked around at the people watching the game with me and said, "Why can't we get any steals?!?"

However, I looked at Gillispie's defensive statistics a couple of months ago. The last two years' A&M teams got more steals than the last two UK teams, but it was pretty close. Surprisingly close, actually.

I do think, though, that given our speed and depth at the guard position, we will gamble a lot more. Heck, we're going to have to; those easy baskets are going to have to come somehow.

[lribookend]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

We'll revisit it at the end of the year. Feel free to come back in April and tell me if I'm wrong. I'll stand by it, though: If guys like Meeks and Crawford don't have stellar offensive years, then this team will struggle--maybe mightily.

Does anyone really disagree with that? I mean really, how profound of a statement is that? I would think, given how thin our frontcourt is, that it's pretty much something that most here would agree with.

I have heard others say that Patrick Patterson must come in and be productive early on or this team will struggle. Others say that Ramel Bradley must improve or this team will struggle. What it comes down to is that many, if not most, of our team must perform well, or we will struggle. This is not a one or two person team, where our success depends on just those one or two individuals. I think most here would agree with that. But as you said, different strokes for different folks. Someone like Patterson or A.J. Stewart or Alex Legion might come in and provide some immediate and very unexpected contributions that would lessen the need for Joe Crawford or Jodie Meeks to have a "stellar" year. Maybe they just need to be consistent in their output, not outstanding. I may very well be wrong, but I have a feeling we may see more balanced scoring this coming season than we have seen in a long time. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't have a different leading score 5 or 6 different times this year. That doesn't happen very often, I don't believe.

[RP_McMurphy]

That Jodie is the leader right now in all time free throw percentage at Kentucky with 89.7%.

[UKManGillispieFan71]

It is no secret that I have always been and will always be a Tubby supporter. However, his defensive scheme was geared more towards preventing the opposition from scoring than turning them over. When we did steal the ball it was usually in the thick of congested lane traffic with no viable outlets to push it up the floor. Playing man to man dictates that you are going to get burned more often on drives to the basket, but when you do turn the other team over you are usually in a better position to capitalize on the other end. Two teams could have the same number of steals, but the points off turnovers could be vastly different. That was an area we seemed to struggle with over the past few years.

[mrmeeks]

NBA scouts are funny to me. If a player comes into college as a super-highly touted player, then disappears, NBA scouts will desperately cling to their high school rankings and claim that he still has an NBA future. On the reverse, if a player comes into college less highly touted--even if he's a top 50 or top 100 player--unless that player has an Acie Law/Juan Dixon/Aaron Grey-esque career, NBA scouts are VERY reluctant to say he'll ever have NBA potential.
More than anything, this is probably due to scouts just going by what they remember from early on.

Anyone who watched 2 UK games last year should know that Jodie Meeks is a better NBA prospect than Crawford. As a freshman, his decision-making, ballhandling, and passing were all better than Crawford's. His athleticism blows Crawford's out of the water. Perhaps most importantly, Meeks improved a staggering amount over the season; Crawford has improved roughly the same in 3 seasons than Meeks did in one. No informed scout can possibly consider Joe, now a senior, a better prospect than Jodie. There's just no way.

My only concern with Jodie Meeks is fan expectations. Over on TCP, there've been serious posts claiming he'll be better than Mashburn. Jodie had a great, but not world-ending freshman year, yet people seem to think it was the latter. No matter how Meeks does, he's going to disappoint some of those people, and I hope that doesn't get to him.

Hello to the greatest fans in college basketball!!!!

Thanks for your insightful posts on Jodie. I want to make sure I am clear on what the 'analyst' said. He basically said Jodie had talent but wasn't convinced he had NBA potential. That is ok. I am sure he doesn't have a team :) It is no different than when he left high school. There were a couple of folks that said he couldn't shoot the 3 point shot. They were proved wrong.

On comparing him to Joe or anyone else on the team, I usually shy away from those types of discussions. Joe is a FINE ballplayer that I expect will have a very good season for us. In my house it is NEVER Jodie OR a teammate, it is always Jodie AND a teammate. Just so you know how we view it. One last note, I chuckled at what the guy said last, he would make up his mind about Jodie based on the coming season. People like that already have their minds made up to start with, that is why you have such funny conversations with them. Have a great weekend. I hope to see you guys around soon..........O

PS. We absolutely love Coach G.

[Will Lavender]

PS. We absolutely love Coach G.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

We do, too. :icon_mrgreen:

[poodoo]

PS. We absolutely love Coach G.

Thanks for sharing that, Mr. Meeks. That is GOOD to know! It is not at all surprising, though. Who could NOT love Coach Gillispie! :icon_biggrin:

Having said that, I agree with posters who have said that Jodie would excel with most any coach. I really believe that, and part of the credit for that goes to you for the way you have raised the young man as an athlete and person. :) Too, FWIW, I suspect your guidance and love as his parent will prevent fans' expectations' becoming a problem for Jodie.

GO CATS! GO BILLY G! GO JODIE!