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Jodie Meeks and Late Development

Somehow, when the national pundits discuss the national player of the year, they ignore Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks, who is the country’s third leading scorer.  But, Meeks has been overlooked for his entire career.

“My perspective is I can’t answer that one,” said the elder Meeks… “Jodie didn’t start playing AAU basketball until he was 15, which should be enough in a normal world. But in the world where kids start playing at such a young age, kids get big reputations and that’s hard to overcome.”

Meeks led his high school to the Georgia state championship before matriculating to Kentucky with little fanfare. Now a junior, he has quited the doubters:

One of the knocks, Meeks’ father said, was people said he couldn’t consistently make the outside shot. So much for that. Meeks made 10 against Tennessee, and shoots 44% from three-point range.

One of the keys to Meeks’ success has been his work ethic during the off-season, but also during games:

Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said… “He makes the same cuts at the beginning of the game that he does at the end of the game. He runs just as hard at the beginning as the end.”

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