Kennedy Meeks, our senior center

[DSouthr]

Our UNC enigma !!!

WE have talked about it, we have decided we don't know what we don't know? And saying that confuses me as much as the player does. I don't know that I have ever seen a UNC player that left me so confused after watching him play for 3 seasons.

There is so much ability there, so many things that are so special that I just keep expecting the kid to break out, to explode and show that ability. Meeks has really good size for the college game at 6'9" and around 260lbs. He is raw bone strong, has a great set of hands. This kid catches passes that most big men fumble with, have seen passes fired at him really hard at close range and the kid still find some way to catch them, one hand or 2 hands, his mits will snag them when very few would have a chance to.

I remember when he was a freshman, barely able to play much more than 2 or 3mins at a time because he was so badly out of shape. Officially tipping the scales about 300lbs, I don't know that Roy or any UNC coach has had a kid more out of shape physically to begin a season of basketball. But even as a over weight & out of shape freshman, the kid flashed points of brilliant play. His passing for a frosh big man was outstanding, he would lumber up top and fire off a great pass to a cutter that only PGs are supposed to be able to pull off. He would get his hands on a rebound and fire off an outlet pass that you had to believe we had the next either Wes Unseld or Kevin Love. I am not talking about flashes of good play, I am talking about flashes of brilliance. To the extent that I doubt you will find a UNC fans that didn't think that if this kid were 40lbs lighter and in solid physical shape, we have a star in the making. The level of anticipation was way up there for this kid, at least it was for me.

And then the whispers began, you should see Meeks now, rumors were that the kid had a miracle occur in the form of an amazing body transformation. We would not recognize him, he has lost a ton of weight, before practice began he not only hit his magic mile goal but he hit his hard goal. Roy gives you a goal number to hit and and exceptional goal that is much harder to hit and Meeks hit the harder one. IT appeared the kid not only had lost a ton of weight but was now physically in shape, he could play for more than 2 or 3 min a pop and additional rumors of him wind mill dunking was nothing but rumors until a video was released showing him actually wind mill dunking in front of Roy! You have to be kidding me, no way this kid did all that in just one off season of work but it appeared that he had, to say we, we speak for my self but I was jacked, understatement of the year!

When that soph season began it was on, Meeks was able to play longer minutes, he was building, seemed he was getting better and better with each game. He still wasn't real vertically explosive but he was putting in some really great play. Then all the sudden he caught what we were told was a flu bug, was held out of a couple games in december, flu was going around and he was not the only kid on the team sick. But when he came back, he was not the same, seemed almost lethargic, he seemed to be trying but not getting anything really done. IT was so stark a change that I began to think this kid had mono, was not sure why we didn't get an official announcement but this kid was still sick and that seemed to remain for the rest of that season.

That took us to the beginning of last season, still in good shape, and surely the long term sickness that effected him as a soph was over now, time for the real Kennedy Meeks to show back up. And because of what we saw early the season before when he showed us that special talent he had, folks were talking Meeks to the NBA after this season, everyone expected that, even Meeks. Really sucked that Roy didn't get us another big time center because last season was going to be Meeks last one with us. The pre-season many had UNC as a final 4 team and when the discussion turned to the UNC's front court while Brice got mentioned, many looked at Meeks as being our front court anchor, now that meeks was healthy. And that season began with Marcus on the bench hurt, Jackson was not hitting a lot of jumpers, Brice started off slow, but Meeks seemed to step up his game from what we had seen. As soon as Marcus came back and Jackson warmed up and Brice started going this was going to be a special tar Heel team.

Then as all those great things began to come together we learned about the bone bruise meeks had since early pre-season practice and it got so bad that Roy held him out of a handful of games and as we all know once again in december we lose our center and he never really came back, for the second season in a row, great start and all the sudden he near shuts down in December? Maybe that bone bruise was something he could not recover from without a lot of rest but watching a meeks season prematurely shut down and yet he still suit up and try to play was no longer a one off, it was back to back seasons and that tends to be seen as a pattern? Is that fair, IDK, it is IMO an accurate reporting of what we saw, just has no explanation of why we saw it.

So that brings us to here, where ever that may be. Now there are more questions than ever about the kid, I for one have no idea of what to expect from him next season or for how long to expect it. Now it seems easier to identify what meeks does not do well as opposed to what he does because the things that are concerning have shown more clear than the good things seem to have. After 3 seasons I find there to be much more that I don't know than what I do, weird for me to say that.

So the expectations I have for Meeks are not high, the ability is there, I see that, but I do not know what to expect at this point, he could have a great senior season and he could flame out, flame out yet again in december and even more questions come. The kid himself has to know and I am sure he does that he has a ton riding on how he plays this season, the team has a lot riding on it and the kid himself has a NBA career riding on it. Another flame out like the last 2 seasons and he is not going to hear his name called in the draft, a kid that has 1st round ability in most parts of the game. Can he play at a strong level all the way thru march and maybe a game in April or do we see what we have seen? IDK, it is a mystery, a mystery wrapped in Meeks, the UNC enigma.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Good overview.

I wish him the best.

As we have discussed, Meeks might do better playing high post. It would emphasize his passing skills and de-emphasize his limited elevation. Plus, running from free throw line to basket is easier than running from basket to basket. Which might reduce wear and tear.

Bottom line, though, is that for whatever reason, Kennedy's motor ran slower the second half of each of the last 2 seasons. If the reason is known, nobody is sharing it. So we have no idea if it's mental or physical. Nor do we know what, if anything, is being done to help him deal with it.

One thing we saw in the first half of the last 2 seasons is that this slimmed down Kennedy can just as easily play PF as C. He isn't slow. His outside shot is at least as good as Isaiah's, and probably better. Plus, Isaiah is a strong guy who can handle the post, and often played close to the rim last season. I mention that because it gives Roy options that might help to maximize Kennedy's performance.

 

[Archer2]

Kennedy is indeed an enigma. Rather than be disappointed, I'm taking a very conservative approach next year. I'm simply hoping he can manage to duplicate last year's numbers of 20 MPG, 9 PPG, and 6 RPG. If he does that, I'll be happy. I think it's a little unrealistic to expect much more.

Either Tony is going to have to play double digit minutes right off the bat or we're going to see a lot of small ball. Hopefully, Isaiah will be able to play 28-30 MPG and Luke can give us some valuable minutes.

But I'm not holding my breath for Kennedy to offer much more than he has to date.

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

People expected way too much from Meeks when he came to the Hill as a freshman even if he was a McDonald All American. In high school in Charlotte Meeks just overpowered people because of his size but in college he ran into people his size who were more athletic and had more talent. His injuries did not help him progress and he played hurt at times. His biggest contribution this year could be being a senior leader and helping Bradley during the difficult transition from high school to big time college play. Like Britt and Hicks he needs to lead by example even if it might mean stepping on some under classmates toes. Like Johnson did last season Meeks has a great opportunity to SHUT UP alot of his naysayers who say he is soft and did not live up to his billing as the next great Carolina center.

 

[gary-7]

Our UNC enigma !!!

WE have talked about it, we have decided we don't know what we don't know? And saying that confuses me as much as the player does. I don't know that I have ever seen a UNC player that left me so confused after watching him play for 3 seasons.

There is so much ability there, so many things that are so special that I just keep expecting the kid to break out, to explode and show that ability. Meeks has really good size for the college game at 6'9" and around 260lbs. He is raw bone strong, has a great set of hands. This kid catches passes that most big men fumble with, have seen passes fired at him really hard at close range and the kid still find some way to catch them, one hand or 2 hands, his mits will snag them when very few would have a chance to.

I remember when he was a freshman, barely able to play much more than 2 or 3mins at a time because he was so badly out of shape. Officially tipping the scales about 300lbs, I don't know that Roy or any UNC coach has had a kid more out of shape physically to begin a season of basketball. But even as a over weight & out of shape freshman, the kid flashed points of brilliant play. His passing for a frosh big man was outstanding, he would lumber up top and fire off a great pass to a cutter that only PGs are supposed to be able to pull off. He would get his hands on a rebound and fire off an outlet pass that you had to believe we had the next either Wes Unseld or Kevin Love. I am not talking about flashes of good play, I am talking about flashes of brilliance. To the extent that I doubt you will find a UNC fans that didn't think that if this kid were 40lbs lighter and in solid physical shape, we have a star in the making. The level of anticipation was way up there for this kid, at least it was for me.

And then the whispers began, you should see Meeks now, rumors were that the kid had a miracle occur in the form of an amazing body transformation. We would not recognize him, he has lost a ton of weight, before practice began he not only hit his magic mile goal but he hit his hard goal. Roy gives you a goal number to hit and and exceptional goal that is much harder to hit and Meeks hit the harder one. IT appeared the kid not only had lost a ton of weight but was now physically in shape, he could play for more than 2 or 3 min a pop and additional rumors of him wind mill dunking was nothing but rumors until a video was released showing him actually wind mill dunking in front of Roy! You have to be kidding me, no way this kid did all that in just one off season of work but it appeared that he had, to say we, we speak for my self but I was jacked, understatement of the year!

When that soph season began it was on, Meeks was able to play longer minutes, he was building, seemed he was getting better and better with each game. He still wasn't real vertically explosive but he was putting in some really great play. Then all the sudden he caught what we were told was a flu bug, was held out of a couple games in december, flu was going around and he was not the only kid on the team sick. But when he came back, he was not the same, seemed almost lethargic, he seemed to be trying but not getting anything really done. IT was so stark a change that I began to think this kid had mono, was not sure why we didn't get an official announcement but this kid was still sick and that seemed to remain for the rest of that season.

That took us to the beginning of last season, still in good shape, and surely the long term sickness that effected him as a soph was over now, time for the real Kennedy Meeks to show back up. And because of what we saw early the season before when he showed us that special talent he had, folks were talking Meeks to the NBA after this season, everyone expected that, even Meeks. Really sucked that Roy didn't get us another big time center because last season was going to be Meeks last one with us. The pre-season many had UNC as a final 4 team and when the discussion turned to the UNC's front court while Brice got mentioned, many looked at Meeks as being our front court anchor, now that meeks was healthy. And that season began with Marcus on the bench hurt, Jackson was not hitting a lot of jumpers, Brice started off slow, but Meeks seemed to step up his game from what we had seen. As soon as Marcus came back and Jackson warmed up and Brice started going this was going to be a special tar Heel team.

Then as all those great things began to come together we learned about the bone bruise meeks had since early pre-season practice and it got so bad that Roy held him out of a handful of games and as we all know once again in december we lose our center and he never really came back, for the second season in a row, great start and all the sudden he near shuts down in December? Maybe that bone bruise was something he could not recover from without a lot of rest but watching a meeks season prematurely shut down and yet he still suit up and try to play was no longer a one off, it was back to back seasons and that tends to be seen as a pattern? Is that fair, IDK, it is IMO an accurate reporting of what we saw, just has no explanation of why we saw it.

So that brings us to here, where ever that may be. Now there are more questions than ever about the kid, I for one have no idea of what to expect from him next season or for how long to expect it. Now it seems easier to identify what meeks does not do well as opposed to what he does because the things that are concerning have shown more clear than the good things seem to have. After 3 seasons I find there to be much more that I don't know than what I do, weird for me to say that.

So the expectations I have for Meeks are not high, the ability is there, I see that, but I do not know what to expect at this point, he could have a great senior season and he could flame out, flame out yet again in december and even more questions come. The kid himself has to know and I am sure he does that he has a ton riding on how he plays this season, the team has a lot riding on it and the kid himself has a NBA career riding on it. Another flame out like the last 2 seasons and he is not going to hear his name called in the draft, a kid that has 1st round ability in most parts of the game. Can he play at a strong level all the way thru march and maybe a game in April or do we see what we have seen? IDK, it is a mystery, a mystery wrapped in Meeks, the UNC enigma.

arright...
As most of you know for the past few seasons I've been fortunate to have a source who is very close to a couple of players... and by attrition if nothing else, y'all may have figured out by now one of those players is Kennedy Meeks. I've heard about his time at Carolina, warts and all, and when appropriate I've shared some of it here. If anyone wonders why I get annoyed when posters blindly dog on him, well there it is.

Hopefully I can put to rest some of these questions with a few simple facts that I doubt he'd mind me sharing.
1. Kennedy is an interesting kid and a good dude.
2. After his freshman season he absolutely busted his ass to transform his body (something SO many hefty college Bigs refuse to do BTW), and did it again before last season., and is at it as we speak.
3. Let's get this one straight --- his struggles have had zero to do with "laziness" or "losing too much weight", or any of the other nonsense I've read. They have been from injuries, plain and simple, that have not always made it to the media. In each of the last two seasons he's had mid-season issues in his legs (knee and ankle) that made it a burden to even run and jump at times. These are especially debilitating to a big-framed fella, and as you might imagine that was VERY frustrating for someone who had put so much work in. And it absolutely kills your conditioning.
4. Speaking of which, Kennedy went into last season feeling the best he had ever felt, had gotten some good feedback from pro scouts and players and was set on having a big Junior season and leaving for the NBA. However, as I said, the injuries grounded him mid-season, and he was just picking back up again physically by March. That setback, plus seeing how Brice blew up in his Senior year convinced KM toward the end of the regular season to come back (and we should be thankful for that).
5. There's really no enigma. Kennedy has all the positive abilities mentioned in the OP. He has great hands, shooting touch and good range, is an excellent passer and when healthy is a sneakily good defender. There was a reason he was once rated above Brice as an NBA prospect. He has put in the work and as my source put it "he's always playing" pickup ball.
6. Finally, like any player going through that stuff might, Kennedy has had his frustrations in Chapel Hill --- last season was especially tough on him --- but he sucked it up and was effective for us again late. He also appreciated the way Roy had his back when the media and message boards were getting on him. Bottom line is he knows this is his last chance and I believe he's on a mission to finish strong. Let us hope for a healthy Senior campaign... it could help take us a long way.

 

[Steat]

Perhaps he will lead the team to an NCAA title. That would be a good ending.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Lot of the same I have heard Gary. Kid bleeds Carolina Blue and we are dern lucky to have him for his Sr Season.

 

[smooth as butter]

Meeks will have a good season.I predict 11 ppg and 9 rbs

 

[DSouthr]

arright...
As most of you know for the past few seasons I've been fortunate to have a source who is very close to a couple of players... and by attrition if nothing else, y'all may have figured out by now one of those players is Kennedy Meeks. I've heard about his time at Carolina, warts and all, and when appropriate I've shared some of it here. If anyone wonders why I get annoyed when posters blindly dog on him, well there it is.

Hopefully I can put to rest some of these questions with a few simple facts that I doubt he'd mind me sharing.
1. Kennedy is an interesting kid and a good dude.
2. After his freshman season he absolutely busted his ass to transform his body (something SO many hefty college Bigs refuse to do BTW), and did it again before last season., and is at it as we speak.
3. Let's get this one straight --- his struggles have had zero to do with "laziness" or "losing too much weight", or any of the other nonsense I've read. They have been from injuries, plain and simple, that have not always made it to the media. In each of the last two seasons he's had mid-season issues in his legs (knee and ankle) that made it a burden to even run and jump at times. These are especially debilitating to a big-framed fella, and as you might imagine that was VERY frustrating for someone who had put so much work in. And it absolutely kills your conditioning.
4. Speaking of which, Kennedy went into last season feeling the best he had ever felt, had gotten some good feedback from pro scouts and players and was set on having a big Junior season and leaving for the NBA. However, as I said, the injuries grounded him mid-season, and he was just picking back up again physically by March. That setback, plus seeing how Brice blew up in his Senior year convinced KM toward the end of the regular season to come back (and we should be thankful for that).
5. There's really no enigma. Kennedy has all the positive abilities mentioned in the OP. He has great hands, shooting touch and good range, is an excellent passer and when healthy is a sneakily good defender. There was a reason he was once rated above Brice as an NBA prospect. He has put in the work and as my source put it "he's always playing" pickup ball.
6. Finally, like any player going through that stuff might, Kennedy has had his frustrations in Chapel Hill --- last season was especially tough on him --- but he sucked it up and was effective for us again late. He also appreciated the way Roy had his back when the media and message boards were getting on him. Bottom line is he knows this is his last chance and I believe he's on a mission to finish strong. Let us hope for a healthy Senior campaign... it could help take us a long way.

gary, here is my thing, I do try really hard not to come down on the kid as hard as I* maybe could. I want to believe that it has been back to back injury riffled seasons for the kid. BUt as badlky as I want to believe that the kid has been hit by injuries, I do find it strange that no official word of that has been released other than a vague reference to a bone bruise.

Look, as a JR, Marcus dealt with the plantar as well as sprained ankles, that was discussed at some point during every game. It allows we fans to understand more of why we saw what we did, it allowed us to have an extra appreciation for Marcus to see him battle thru those injuries even if the results were not as good as his soph season. If this has been about injury to Meeks then the kid has been done a strong dis-service by the program by not sharing what he has had to battle his way thru. Because it has forced the fans to have to wonder what is going on with him as opposed to knowing and being able to understand and have the empathy for his struggle.

I think we all want to believe it has been injury, I know I for sure think it was injury by watching the way he has played, either injury or a long term sickness that is a real concern. So I am in no way questioning what you are saying and I agree meeks is a great kid, that is not nor has it been a question. But the way his game ready status has been handled has not served the kid well at all and the program really should deal with that so the fans understand and not have to guess. All that would take is a official statement of what medical issues the kid had to deal with last season, the fans will understand, the fans want to understand, the fans deserve to understand don't they?

 

[DSouthr]

Lot of the same I have heard Gary. Kid bleeds Carolina Blue and we are dern lucky to have him for his Sr Season.

MIkey, I understand but it should not be up to just rumors passed along. If there ever was an article waiting to be written then an article based on an interview with Kennedy Meeks about his last 2 years is begging to be written by some one, by any one? Can there be a Tar Heel fan that would not want to read such an article, to finally know and not have to base our thoughts on rumors or speculation?

I will challenge this staff, I will challenge any Rivals or Scout staff to write just such an article and put it out for Tar Heel fans to finally be able to put this question to bed once and for all.

 

[dadika13]

I'm with DS. The coaching staff, school, and Kennedy went out of their way to say he was healthy at the end of last season. So if he was healthy, then how did he forget to play basketball. Thus, this makes him an enigma.

Like DS said, if he in fact wasn't healthy then someone should have said so after the season. Instead of having most of a fan base wondering what happened to its starting center. Add that to the frat stuff during the NCAAs and the rumors of him going overseas, not a good combo. If he was told to hide his injury, that isn't fair to the kid.

 

[Archer2]

Look, we all love the young man. He's got a great smile and he represents the university well both on and off the court. I'm sure there's not a single UNC fan who doesn't want him to succeed.

But I agree with others when they say his injury issues should have been made public if they were severe enough to affect his play as much as some here are reporting. I'm sure he doesn't want to get the reputation of being "injury prone" but getting the reputation of being a "soft" player can be even worse for his future pro aspirations. If the young man has been playing through significant injuries, by all means make it public.

As stated, there was no lack of talk about Marcus' health issues. It helps the fans empathize and better understand what the players are going through. Kennedy should be given the same benefit of the doubt and his injuries made known.

 

[gary-7]

gary, here is my thing, I do try really hard not to come down on the kid as hard as I* maybe could. I want to believe that it has been back to back injury riffled seasons for the kid. BUt as badlky as I want to believe that the kid has been hit by injuries, I do find it strange that no official word of that has been released other than a vague reference to a bone bruise.

Look, as a JR, Marcus dealt with the plantar as well as sprained ankles, that was discussed at some point during every game. It allows we fans to understand more of why we saw what we did, it allowed us to have an extra appreciation for Marcus to see him battle thru those injuries even if the results were not as good as his soph season. If this has been about injury to Meeks then the kid has been done a strong dis-service by the program by not sharing what he has had to battle his way thru. Because it has forced the fans to have to wonder what is going on with him as opposed to knowing and being able to understand and have the empathy for his struggle.

I think we all want to believe it has been injury, I know I for sure think it was injury by watching the way he has played, either injury or a long term sickness that is a real concern. So I am in no way questioning what you are saying and I agree meeks is a great kid, that is not nor has it been a question. But the way his game ready status has been handled has not served the kid well at all and the program really should deal with that so the fans understand and not have to guess. All that would take is a official statement of what medical issues the kid had to deal with last season, the fans will understand, the fans want to understand, the fans deserve to understand don't they?

It's not a matter of wanting to believe, it is what it is. These days colleges don't release details of injuries (privacy laws). They just put out something general, so we don't know the extent unless the player wants to talk about it (Marcus revealed his plantar issues, probably because he was catching so much unfair criticism), or has surgery, which is hard to keep under wraps. Also, when they say "bone bruise" 99% of the public has no friggin' clue how debilitating (and sometimes even serious) that can be. Hell, some deep tissue or bone bruises can actually be life-threatening.

So yeah, it can be tough for fans to get the full picture these days but no one should assume the worst about a player.

 

[DSouthr]

It's not a matter of wanting to believe, it is what it is. These days colleges don't release details of injuries (privacy laws). They just put out something general, so we don't know the extent unless the player wants to talk about it (Marcus revealed his plantar issues, probably because he was catching so much unfair criticism), or has surgery, which is hard to keep under wraps. Also, when they say "bone bruise" 99% of the public has no friggin' clue how debilitating (and sometimes even serious) that can be. Hell, some deep tissue or bone bruises can actually be life-threatening.

So yeah, it can be tough for fans to get the full picture these days but no one should assume the worst about a player.

gary, if it is what it is then what it is.. is unexplained. Roy discussed the issues with Marcus in his Jr season, multiple times it was Roy discussing it. Roy has talked about issues Deon had with his back, injury to Hansbourgh, in addition to injuries to Marcus. You can not tell me that Roy nor the school can not releases any information on Meeks but could on multiple other players? That don't jive?

If those "privacy laws" are so strong then how was it released that Meeks even had the bone bruise? If that bone bruise was so debilitating and the only cure for it rest, then the clear question is why was he played, especially if it could be so serious as to be life threatening?

I get it gary, you like the kid and do not like people questioning his character and I can see how in a way what I am saying could be seen as such. That is not my intent nor has it been, I simply feel UNC fans should know what it was the kid was dealing with and not have to guess or rely on he said she said. That is what that is...

 

[gary-7]

gary, if it is what it is then what it is.. is unexplained. Roy discussed the issues with Marcus in his Jr season, multiple times it was Roy discussing it. Roy has talked about issues Deon had with his back, injury to Hansbourgh, in addition to injuries to Marcus. You can not tell me that Roy nor the school can not releases any information on Meeks but could on multiple other players? That don't jive?

If those "privacy laws" are so strong then how was it released that Meeks even had the bone bruise? If that bone bruise was so debilitating and the only cure for it rest, then the clear question is why was he played, especially if it could be so serious as to be life threatening?

I get it gary, you like the kid and do not like people questioning his character and I can see how in a way what I am saying could be seen as such. That is not my intent nor has it been, I simply feel UNC fans should know what it was the kid was dealing with and not have to guess or rely on he said she said. That is what that is...

Again, other than the body part the school only gives as much detail as the player allows. And honestly "bone bruise" should have been detail enough.

This isn't a pro league where teams are required to release details and put players on various lists, depending on the sport. Again, fans only found about the degree of Marcus's aliments over time.

If Roy says "player-x is dealing with some nagging injuries" sometimes thats all we have to go by... saying "bone bruise" is actually extra detail and means the player didn't have any objection to it getting out Trouble is it doesn't convey to fans just how debilitating that can be, depending on where it is. I posted what I posted to let y'all know that these injuries have been the source of KM's setbacks.

 

[dlew71]

I posted what I posted to let y'all know that these injuries have been the source of KM's setbacks.

is it known if the injury issues are behind him heading into the summer and upcoming season?

 

[DSouthr]

Again, other than the body part the school only gives as much detail as the player allows. And honestly "bone bruise" should have been detail enough.

This isn't a pro league where teams are required to release details and put players on various lists, depending on the sport. Again, fans only found about the degree of Marcus's aliments over time.

If Roy says "player-x is dealing with some nagging injuries" sometimes thats all we have to go by... saying "bone bruise" is actually extra detail and means the player didn't have any objection to it getting out Trouble is it doesn't convey to fans just how debilitating that can be, depending on where it is. I posted what I posted to let y'all know that these injuries have been the source of KM's setbacks.

gary, I do not question if the kid was hurt or not, I have seen to many kids play with nagging injury to not recognize it when I see it. But that is me, I see the game a good bit differently than many fans do. I knew there was more than just a flu bug his soph season and I know it was more than just a bruise last season, not that I question that he had that as well but there was more than a bone bruise and you & I both know that.

It isn't about being required to tell the fans about a players injury issues, it is MUCH more about protecting the kid from the critisms, many of which I have seen here. I have seen people suggest it was him being depressed, have seen people question his comittment to the game, his heart, his ability to play thru pain, all kinds of stuff. I have never bought in to those kind of explanations, have stated many times that I know the kid was hurt but the broader fan base needs to know OFFICIALLY. And gary, man, no offense but they need to hear it in some official form, either from the school or from the kid, not some message board poster like you or me. Some official announcement, some interview where the interviewer asks him about the injuries he had, something beats nothing and nothing is what we have got from the school or the kids own mouth directly.

And I want to know, does the kid have cronic feet problems, cronic knee issues, something that keeps reoccurring because we are dealing with not just one season but 2 in a row now.

gary, me personally, I am not questioning you or what you believe has happened with the kid but you know good and well many others do, many that post here as UNC fans, you know that so it can't be because gary says so for the many that have a lot harder positions than I have so they all understand. And the truth is, you maybe more than anyone, at least anyone here, should really want the program to release something or at least someone interview the kid and get his side of what happened with him last season. Because when that jives with what you have stated then you gain a bit of cred that some have questioned.

 

[gary-7]

is it known if the injury issues are behind him heading into the summer and upcoming season?

Last I heard he was feeling spry (no jinx!)

 

[gary-7]

gary, I do not question if the kid was hurt or not, I have seen to many kids play with nagging injury to not recognize it when I see it. But that is me, I see the game a good bit differently than many fans do. I knew there was more than just a flu bug his soph season and I know it was more than just a bruise last season, not that I question that he had that as well but there was more than a bone bruise and you & I both know that.

It isn't about being required to tell the fans about a players injury issues, it is MUCH more about protecting the kid from the critisms, many of which I have seen here. I have seen people suggest it was him being depressed, have seen people question his comittment to the game, his heart, his ability to play thru pain, all kinds of stuff. I have never bought in to those kind of explanations, have stated many times that I know the kid was hurt but the broader fan base needs to know OFFICIALLY. And gary, man, no offense but they need to hear it in some official form, either from the school or from the kid, not some message board poster like you or me. Some official announcement, some interview where the interviewer asks him about the injuries he had, something beats nothing and nothing is what we have got from the school or the kids own mouth directly.

And I want to know, does the kid have cronic feet problems, cronic knee issues, something that keeps reoccurring because we are dealing with not just one season but 2 in a row now.

gary, me personally, I am not questioning you or what you believe has happened with the kid but you know good and well many others do, many that post here as UNC fans, you know that so it can't be because gary says so for the many that have a lot harder positions than I have so they all understand. And the truth is, you maybe more than anyone, at least anyone here, should really want the program to release something or at least someone interview the kid and get his side of what happened with him last season. Because when that jives with what you have stated then you gain a bit of cred that some have questioned.

Hey, I wish they could release more. I saw some UNC fans say some pretty disappointing sh** about Marcus during his injury-plagued Junior season. I'm on here trying to tell folks he couldn't even make a jump-stop but all that was said officially is that he had a sore foot. The rest came later to answer the criticism.

Just like you Dave, I suspected there was more to Kennedy's injury during his sophomore season but I found out later there really wasn't. --- it was just a build-up of things. Last season it was mainly the bone bruise and the resulting lack of explosion, which affects a large man much more, and having to be careful with it kills conditioning. We saw him gradually getting back to his old self during the tourney.

And I gotta tell ya, I'm not sure there was anything else to release in this instance that would have satisfied folks. Think about it --- there were some fans who still didn't appreciate what Marcus was dealing with, even after it came out he had plantar fascitis.

Bottom line is that what I posted above was simply sharing some positive information. There wasn't anything deep and dark going on, just the understandable frustration a competitor would feel from having his hard work grounded by yet another injury and not being physically able to finish plays under the basket that once were routine. That's all I can tell you.

 

[DSouthr]

Hey, I wish they could release more. I saw some UNC fans say some pretty disappointing sh** about Marcus during his injury-plagued Junior season. I'm on here trying to tell folks he couldn't even make a jump-stop but all that was said officially is that he had a sore foot. The rest came later to answer the criticism.

Just like you Dave, I suspected there was more to Kennedy's injury during his sophomore season but I found out later there really wasn't. --- it was just a build-up of things. Last season it was mainly the bone bruise and the resulting lack of explosion, which affects a large man much more, and having to be careful with it kills conditioning. We saw him gradually getting back to his old self during the tourney.

And I gotta tell ya, I'm not sure there was anything else to release in this instance that would have satisfied folks. Think about it --- there were some fans who still didn't appreciate what Marcus was dealing with, even after it came out he had plantar fascitis.

Bottom line is that what I posted above was simply sharing some positive information. There wasn't anything deep and dark going on, just the understandable frustration a competitor would feel from having his hard work grounded by yet another injury and not being physically able to finish plays under the basket that once were routine. That's all I can tell you.

I agree with most of this gary, I would suggest that Roy talking about marcus injuries as he did went a long way to mitigate the fans reaction to how marcus played as a Jr. My point being I feel the same should have occurred with Meeks and a lot of what has been said would not have been. Now of course, you are just going to have fans that know what a situation is going in and yet seem to totally forget what that situation is after a game is played.

As example, you recall the worst injury plagued season in NCAA basketball to ever hit a team, Henson's freshman season? Now we all saw how many kids missed games due to injury that season, we all saw multiple starters get season as well as UNC career ending injury and yet there were fans that were calling for Roy's head after that season ended as it did. IN what may have been very best season of coaching in having a challenge to find enough players to play each game that season, there were a lot of folks calling for Roy to step down. You are always going to have that, unfortunately but that is reality, folks like that allow emotion to take over reality and all we can do is ignor that when it happens.

I appreciate the information you have shared here gary but I maintain that what you have shared here would carry much greater weight if it came from the school or from the kid himself. It would reduce the negativity aimed at him to a much larger extent that saying nothing does. You or I share what you have shared about Meeks, gary it is taken as little more than internet rumor, let Andrew Jones say it, let Jay Bilas say it, let it come from Roy or Meeks himself and it becomes explanation to reasonable fans accept as fact.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I would suggest that Roy talking about marcus injuries as he did went a long way to mitigate the fans reaction to how marcus played as a Jr. My point being I feel the same should have occurred with Meeks and a lot of what has been said would not have been.

This.

When fans are in the dark, all kinds of good and bad guesses start circulating. More info helps keep things in perspective.

It's natural for people to think that if there was a "good" reason, we would hear about it. So when we don't hear about it, some people will tend to assume the worst. Just human nature.

 

[Spacegrass]

I don't think he needs to be an anchor for UNC in the post but steady consistency is needed from him.

 

[Archer2]

Kennedy's 2016 stats:
20.6 MPG
9.2 PPG
5.9 RPG
1.1 APG
1.0 BPG
54.8% FG
68.9% FT

Isaiah's 2016 stats:
18.1 MPG
8.9 PPG
4.6 RPG
.7 APG
.6 BPG
61.4% FG
75.6% FT

IOW, we got a combined 38.7 MPG from these two young men. That's simply not gong to cut it this year. And yes, I realize Isaiah was playing behind an All American in Brice. But the fact of the matter is that he would have gotten considerably more minutes if he could have avoided constant foul trouble.

We've got to replace 31.8 PPG, 15.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG that was provided by our three seniors. That is quite significant. The scoring is going to be difficult enough to replace but I'm even more concerned about how we're going to replace the 15 RPG. We desperately need both Kennedy and Isaiah to step up their production, scoring wise and especially on the boards.

I'm going to take Gary at his word when he says Kennedy's issues last year were injury related. I really want to believe that because otherwise, there's no excuse for his disappointing tendency to disappear down the stretch run. I truly hope that he can have a healthy senior season, for his sake and that of the team. As I stated above, I'm not expecting a lot of improvement from his modest 2016 numbers but I would be thrilled to be pleasantly surprised.

If there's ever been a kid who deserved to have a healthy senior campaign, it's Kennedy. I pray he gets it.

 

[DSouthr]

Kennedy's 2016 stats:
20.6 MPG
9.2 PPG
5.9 RPG
1.1 APG
1.0 BPG
54.8% FG
68.9% FT

Isaiah's 2016 stats:
18.1 MPG
8.9 PPG
4.6 RPG
.7 APG
.6 BPG
61.4% FG
75.6% FT

IOW, we got a combined 38.7 MPG from these two young men. That's simply not gong to cut it this year. And yes, I realize Isaiah was playing behind an All American in Brice. But the fact of the matter is that he would have gotten considerably more minutes if he could have avoided constant foul trouble.

We've got to replace 31.8 PPG, 15.2 RPG, and 5.3 APG that was provided by our three seniors. That is quite significant. The scoring is going to be difficult enough to replace but I'm even more concerned about how we're going to replace the 15 RPG. We desperately need both Kennedy and Isaiah to step up their production, scoring wise and especially on the boards.

I'm going to take Gary at his word when he says Kennedy's issues last year were injury related. I really want to believe that because otherwise, there's no excuse for his disappointing tendency to disappear down the stretch run. I truly hope that he can have a healthy senior season, for his sake and that of the team. As I stated above, I'm not expecting a lot of improvement from his modest 2016 numbers but I would be thrilled to be pleasantly surprised.

If there's ever been a kid who deserved to have a healthy senior campaign, it's Kennedy. I pray he gets it.

Yeah but I guess I have been a Tar Heel for so long that I have come to the point where I know they come & they go and every year someone steps up to fill the void. Hansbourgh left, we filled that void, same for Jordan, same for them all. Next season will be no different, other guys will step up and we will move forward as we always do.

 

[Archer2]

We'll move forward because we have no choice. And hopefully, several guys will step up their games. If not, we'll be in major trouble. We have a lot of questions to be answered, certainly more than last year.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

There are a lot of answers on our bench. I think we will be able to reach 80+ per game, because I expect several peeps to slightly step up their scoring and Hicks and JJ to make major strides. Brice was an awesome intimidation factor to opponents and he demanded attention from multiple defenders. This might be more of a factor than replacing his scoring. Hicks will have to become more of a concern to the D while increasing his scoring significantly. I think he can do it!

 

[gary-7]

We'll move forward because we have no choice. And hopefully, several guys will step up their games. If not, we'll be in major trouble. We have a lot of questions to be answered, certainly more than last year.

Rest easy, my friend.

 

[Archer2]

Generally, some of the returning players will step up and we need them to. There are definitely several players that have the potential to increase their production.

 

[DSouthr]

OK, so like when I find myself in a situation that I do not totally understand, I ask questions. So I am going to ask some questions in this post, that do not really concern injury or any of the other issues that have been stated about meeks.

1) You are 6'8-9" and weight in around 260-265lbs and you do not have a great amount of vertical explosion. Would not setting up deep on the low post be about the worst spot on the court you could set up and call for the ball in?

My answer, yes & no, no if you are a player that uses that weight and girth of a 265lb guy to physically play thru your defender drawing him in to foul trouble. If you are the type of player that catches your defender in the block charge circle and attacks that defenders body but you have to catch and immediately attack without hesitation. No looking to finesse, no double and triple pump fakes, attack and worst case get to the foul line or best case the and 1. UNless you are ready to immediately attack then IMO setting up in the low block and calling for the ball could be the worst thing for you to do.

2) Does meeks do as I outlined above, does he attack the defender deep in the post or have we watched him try to finesse with multiple pump fakes and try to snake the shot thru multiple defenders?

My answer, well we have seen it, it is more of a finesse thru defenders with multiple pump fakes that give multiple defenders the chance to harass the shot.

3) If the ball goes to a player posted deep in the post what should he do?

My answer, well there are really only 2 good options, either explode thru the defenders by attacking their body or kick the ball back out. You do not have time to catch and think about it, you must be ready to do one or the other immediately on the catch because the defense is rotating to you.

4) Why do we see Meeks post up so deep, many times under the back board in a way that he has to lean back (plays in to the defenders hands) just to get the ball up on the back board? Why do this and not be ready to attack the defenders body? Why do this and the shot attempt be a finesse snaking attempt that is far to often blocked by defenders not worried about getting the foul call? Shouldn't ya punish the defender by going directly in to his body?

5) Why do we see him catch deep in the post and bend forward with those pump fakes giving up his height so that guards can drop down and look to strip the ball as big defenders harass the shot from above?

6) Meeks out weighted Brice by at least 50lbs last season but Brice would attack his defender without giving it a second thought. Hicks was out weighed by Meeks by at least 30lbs but Hicks will attack the basket and any defender in the way. Yet meeks at 265lbs was trying to be the finesse guy while Brice and Hicks attacked? And don't even get me started on who was the most physically strong guy of the 3, that was not even close so why not use that strength?

My answer for the last 3 questions is the same, I got nothing, I need some help with these answers cause I got nothing...

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Generally, some of the returning players will step up and we need them to. There are definitely several players that have the potential to increase their production.

This is why I'm not too worried about SG. That's the murkiest position for knowing who will start and how good we'll be - but we have so many choices there that we are almost guaranteed to have that covered, and covered well.

 

[Archer2]

OK, so like when I find myself in a situation that I do not totally understand, I ask questions. So I am going to ask some questions in this post, that do not really concern injury or any of the other issues that have been stated about meeks.

1) You are 6'8-9" and weight in around 260-265lbs and you do not have a great amount of vertical explosion. Would not setting up deep on the low post be about the worst spot on the court you could set up and call for the ball in?

My answer, yes & no, no if you are a player that uses that weight and girth of a 265lb guy to physically play thru your defender drawing him in to foul trouble. If you are the type of player that catches your defender in the block charge circle and attacks that defenders body but you have to catch and immediately attack without hesitation. No looking to finesse, no double and triple pump fakes, attack and worst case get to the foul line or best case the and 1. UNless you are ready to immediately attack then IMO setting up in the low block and calling for the ball could be the worst thing for you to do.

2) Does meeks do as I outlined above, does he attack the defender deep in the post or have we watched him try to finesse with multiple pump fakes and try to snake the shot thru multiple defenders?

My answer, well we have seen it, it is more of a finesse thru defenders with multiple pump fakes that give multiple defenders the chance to harass the shot.

3) If the ball goes to a player posted deep in the post what should he do?

My answer, well there are really only 2 good options, either explode thru the defenders by attacking their body or kick the ball back out. You do not have time to catch and think about it, you must be ready to do one or the other immediately on the catch because the defense is rotating to you.

4) Why do we see Meeks post up so deep, many times under the back board in a way that he has to lean back (plays in to the defenders hands) just to get the ball up on the back board? Why do this and not be ready to attack the defenders body? Why do this and the shot attempt be a finesse snaking attempt that is far to often blocked by defenders not worried about getting the foul call? Shouldn't ya punish the defender by going directly in to his body?

5) Why do we see him catch deep in the post and bend forward with those pump fakes giving up his height so that guards can drop down and look to strip the ball as big defenders harass the shot from above?

6) Meeks out weighted Brice by at least 50lbs last season but Brice would attack his defender without giving it a second thought. Hicks was out weighed by Meeks by at least 30lbs but Hicks will attack the basket and any defender in the way. Yet meeks at 265lbs was trying to be the finesse guy while Brice and Hicks attacked? And don't even get me started on who was the most physically strong guy of the 3, that was not even close so why not use that strength?

My answer for the last 3 questions is the same, I got nothing, I need some help with these answers cause I got nothing...

I agree with everything you said here. Meeks has the build to play a physical game but appears to shy away from contact and play a finesse game. That completely defies logic. Nothing is more frustrating than to see him post so deep that the backboard actually serves as another defender, then watch him bend over and lean back into the defender's block attempt. Makes no sense at all to me.

I don't know why Roy hasn't used him more in the high post. After his freshman year, I thought we'd see a lot of Kennedy in the high post to utilize his passing ability and the ability to make the 18 footer. After his struggles in the low post, I'm at a loss as to why we haven't.

 

[DSouthr]

I agree with everything you said here. Meeks has the build to play a physical game but appears to shy away from contact and play a finesse game. That completely defies logic. Nothing is more frustrating than to see him post so deep that the backboard actually serves as another defender, then watch him bend over and lean back into the defender's block attempt. Makes no sense at all to me.

I don't know why Roy hasn't used him more in the high post. After his freshman year, I thought we'd see a lot of Kennedy in the high post to utilize his passing ability and the ability to make the 18 footer. After his struggles in the low post, I'm at a loss as to why we haven't.

I can kinda explain why Roy used him more in the low post last season, it was a couple things. First, Meeks does a good job most times blocking out for boards on both ends physically. He is hard to get around when he blocks out with his physical strength. Rebounding he is able to counter his opponents length with his strength, where brice was able to be held off the boards by stronger guys. With Meeks blocking out it gave Brice a lot of clear runs to the boards.

Also, Meeks has really good hands, everyone talks about his passing as his best attribute but to me the kid has some of the best hands I have seen in a while. He catches nearly everything fired at him, even at close range, and hands are so strong that rarely can the ball be stripped from him once he latches on. You want your big in the post to have good hands and his hands were much better than Brice or Hicks for that matter.

I am fine with Meeks setting up in the low post but outside of the elevation problem, I see 2 things that he can correct that would help him immensely on the low blocks. First he has to get a better feel for where to set up, he has tended to get to deep, needs to get up a little more so he can have a step to the basket and not get caught under the back board where as archer shares, the back board is used as an additional defender.

Second, he has to gain a better feel for his defender on him, if that defender is tight on him then go to his body, attack the defender first and then the rim, initiate the contact if the defender is inside the block/charge circle because the defender is helpless there. If the defender is not tight on him then either play thru or step slight euro step away and use the running hook he likes.

One thing I have noticed, it explains in part his problem elevating, he seems to lose his balance and tends to spread his legs to get his balance back and that puts him in a bad position to explode up strong. Him being able to have a step toward the basket would really help this. he also really has to work on his footwork, he at times jumps off the wrong foot and that hurts his ability to elevate with any kind of power. He really needs to work on that catch and step thru footwork hard from a distance/balance/proper foot aspect. And I think he can do that and do it well, have seen him at times do this very well, just not consistently. Hicks does this consistently well. Brice was really good at this but Brice could jump off of either foot and get away with it because his vertical explosion was so quick. Recall Twan Jamison was a master of the quick vertical jump, Brice got really good with it, Meeks is a bit of a slower guy off the floor, he is not a standing leap kind of guy, there are NBA payers that are not as well so it isn't as if that can not be something that can not be over come in other ways.

Meeks when he is posted deep in the post seems to be focused on putting the ball in the basket and in some cases that is great but when he is in so deep and tightly defended he has to think more in terms of attacking the defender and creating his own space than trying to finesse up and around a defender or 2. And he just can't hesitate and then throw up a couple pump fakes down that deep. A long post defender does not have to leave the floor to block his shot so the pump fake does not help you, it does give guards time to drop down and harass the ball however and now if you count the back board you have 3 defenders to deal with, makes things so much harder than they have to be. I have seen Meeks go up strong and use his far and to put the ball on the back board and use his near arm to shield off, allows him to effectively use that strength he has, need more of that.

 

[Archer2]

Good points there, especially re: not posting up quite so deep and attacking the defenders body inside the circle to draw fouls. But since he hasn't shown the ability/smarts/desire(pick your word) to do that in three years, I'm not expecting to see it next year. Even if he posts up three feet farther away from the basket, Kennedy has shown me nothing to indicate that he likes physical contact and would readily initiate it, even if it means gaining the advantage. Like Joel James, whom I love, I think he's just a big old teddy bear without a mean streak in his body. And with his limited physical skills, that severely limits his effectiveness. Great kid though, and that's enough for me. As I've stated, if he can give us what he did last year, I'll be satisfied. I think to expect much more is being unrealistic.

I still think he'd be most effective in the high post. Yes, it pulls one of our better rebounders away from the basket but it would also pull the opposing center away from the basket as well. And we have quick, athletic forwards/wings to help with the boards.