Time for everyone to jump on the Meeks bandwagon

[IDUNK4HEELS]

Meeks was great tonight as he had to play expanded minutes with Hicks spending most of the night in a front row seat on the bench. The kid has really improved this season as a senior and he had become a double double machine. Anybody who watched the second half had to notice how tired Meeks looked but he battled his butt off and against the big timber from Louisville and only got a few minutes of rest. People like to dog him and Britt because they are not stat suffers but all I saw was both these seniors hit,clutch free throws in crunch time.

 

[soap - new and improved]

Major Kudos to Kennedy. Hicks, on the other hand, needs to get his act together, and FAST!

 

[johnhelvete]

Meeks was great tonight as he had to play expanded minutes with Hicks spending most of the night in a front row seat on the bench. The kid has really improved this season as a senior and he had become a double double machine. Anybody who watched the second half had to notice how tired Meeks looked but he battled his butt off and against the big timber from Louisville and only got a few minutes of rest. People like to dog him and Britt because they are not stat suffers but all I saw was both these seniors hit,clutch free throws in crunch time.

Agreed. Loved how fired up Meeks got when Berry got that rebound late in the game.

 

[Archer2]

Major Kudos to Kennedy. Hicks, on the other hand, needs to get his act together, and FAST!

Isaiah has been the biggest disappointment of the season for me. It appears he is never going to learn how to play without committing foolish fouls and this seriously limits his value to us. Such a shame because he has a lot of talent and we could really use a few more MPG from him.

It took Brice until the latter half of his junior year to learn how to play without getting in foul trouble. And while Isaiah has shown improvement, he needs to do considerably better if we're to cut down the nets. We need him playing major minutes in order to reach our full potential. With Isaiah's continuous foul troubles, if Kennedy hadn't been the rock he's been all year long, we'd be up the proverbial creek.

 

[Grayhead]

I have to say this, he has changed his demeanor greatly during the off season. He is having the type of season he should have had last year. I know he was injured, but something wasn't right in his approach either. This year, he is much more focused. I hope he finds a good spot on an NBA team after his services are over this season. Proud of him.
I really knew I would like him once he talked trash to the dook recruits after he signed with us. He was big, and a project. But dude can ball for someone with no vert.

 

[Tom79]

Kennedy is really focused. He positions himself so well on rebounding.
As to Hicks, a couple of his fouls were covering up for team mates that got beat and he became the last line of defense. Happens a great deal, he needs to allow some of those shots and defend a bit from a side angle, letting the guy slip by and perhaps get a blocked shot with his leaping/extension, allowing a made shot with an and 1 is not good, the other version of perhaps a made 2 by them or better a block by us and get back on offense and live to fight other plays on in the game. Hicks knows well how to play the game. I hope he can trim those fouls down by 2-3 as we head to the tourney.

 

[Archer2]

Kennedy is really focused. He positions himself so well on rebounding.
As to Hicks, a couple of his fouls were covering up for team mates that got beat and he became the last line of defense. Happens a great deal, he needs to allow some of those shots and defend a bit from a side angle, letting the guy slip by and perhaps get a blocked shot with his leaping/extension, allowing a made shot with an and 1 is not good, the other version of perhaps a made 2 by them or better a block by us and get back on offense and live to fight other plays on in the game. Hicks knows well how to play the game. I hope he can trim those fouls down by 2-3 as we head to the tourney.

Yes and yes.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Yep, our guards do NOT HELP keep Hicks out of trouble. But Lordy his Basketball IQ on the D end has to be the lowest I can remember in quite some time.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Got to see Meeks and Bradley on the court together some last night. I don't know what the numbers say when they were in there together, but I liked what I saw.

 

[DSouthr]

Meeks is working his butt off, he should get the game ball from last night IMO. I love to watch our seniors every season, kind of amazing to see who really steps up and embraces what it is to be a senior leader at UNC and Meeks has shown that this season. Kid just went to war last night, his stats were pretty much what we have become used to from him this season but the circumstances that he got those stats from was what was so impressive. All that size and length LVille throws at you, Hicks couldn't walk on the court without picking up a foul, Luke was not a real factor in this game thou he did battle as well. Tony came in and gave Meeks some help but mostly it was 30mins of Meeks working his butt off no matter how many fresh bigs Pitino threw at him.

LIke I said, game ball to Kennedy Meeks, kid earned the heck out of it!

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Things have certainly changed from when I felt the need to start the thread linked below. Glad to see it. Kennedy may well get drafted this year.

He seems more confident. A few games ago he was directing traffic (pointing to players and where they should be). This game he got on Hicks at least twice after a couple of Hicks' low-IQ moves. That's the sort of thing I remember seeing during our 2009 run as Wayne and Danny got on Deon's case and made him a better player. Kennedy even has a little swagger. Got him in trouble in the Clemson game, but still good to see.

https://northcarolina.forums.rivals.com/threads/please-stop-bashing-kennedy.49870/

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Meeks is working his butt off, he should get the game ball from last night IMO. I love to watch our seniors every season, kind of amazing to see who really steps up and embraces what it is to be a senior leader at UNC and Meeks has shown that this season. Kid just went to war last night, his stats were pretty much what we have become used to from him this season but the circumstances that he got those stats from was what was so impressive. All that size and length LVille throws at you, Hicks couldn't walk on the court without picking up a foul, Luke was not a real factor in this game thou he did battle as well. Tony came in and gave Meeks some help but mostly it was 30mins of Meeks working his butt off no matter how many fresh bigs Pitino threw at him.

LIke I said, game ball to Kennedy Meeks, kid earned the heck out of it!

Yeah, this was a hard team for Luke to compete against. Tall and quick. But, as you said, he worked hard when he was in there.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Did anyone feel it took Kennedy a long time to get into the groove? he was all fumbles and bumbles until a few min into the second half.

As for his strengths:

• He has not good, but great positioning for defensive rebounds - I had to laugh early in the season when someone tried to pass this off, saying the ball just falls in his hands... yes, that's how it looks most of the time 'cause of his great positioning.
• He may not have much lift, but his second jump is so fast and a key to his offensive rebounding - He's bouncing off his toes like he's done a million skip-rope drills.
• When Kennedy gets position on the low block, he is usually unstoppable - he missed a few bunnies early against the Cards, but as I said above, he looked a little out of sorts to start.
• He's an underrated shot blocker - long arms and good timing = blocked shots.
• He is quite good out to the free throw line and, as has been mentioned over the last 2 years, he could play high post quite nicely, either looking to pass (out or down to the low post) or to take a quick 9 footer.
• He's worked on a couple of contact-avoiding moves: Up-and-under to the weakside of the basket, turnaround jumper, fadeaway jumper. We didn't see much of these in previous years.

So yeah, I too like Kennedy, and like seeing him being effective in January, February and hopefully March and April!

 

[DSouthr]

Bilas talked about it and it was nice to see it come from a former big time front court guy himself, Meeks is not a high riser as we know, it isn't his first jump that is all that impressive. But the kid's second and 3rd jumps are quicker than expected and they are very powerful and on balance. When he establishes he just is not going to be moved out, you are either going to go over his back and risk getting the foul or he is going to keep on tipping the ball until it goes in. I*t is his shear strength and power but it is now combined with the stamina to do it for most of the 40mins of a game. It isn't just that, it is the fact that he stays on balance and because he does stay on balance his timing is exceptional.

The difference I see this season to the last couple for him is he seems to have the stamina to play deep minutes and still maintain his balance for 2nd and 3rd jump tips late in the game. Kid shows me the will to fight thru no matter what the adversity is, his shear effort, his shear will to battle all that Lville length was just damned impressive as his season has been frankly. Kid that can barely dunk the ball in there battling all that Lville length, all that FSU length and walking away with double doubles nearly every game?

He is being over shadowed a bit by Justin and Joel, maybe even Theo at times but really, he shouldn't be. With out the work Meeks is putting in that many over look, we would not be winning as much as we have been. Just a remarkable senior season from a kid that has had more than his fair share of struggles since coming to us. Man, I would love to see that kid rewarded with a natty ring !

 

[Heelicious]

Bilas talked about it and it was nice to see it come from a former big time front court guy himself, Meeks is not a high riser as we know, it isn't his first jump that is all that impressive. But the kid's second and 3rd jumps are quicker than expected and they are very powerful and on balance. When he establishes he just is not going to be moved out, you are either going to go over his back and risk getting the foul or he is going to keep on tipping the ball until it goes in. I*t is his shear strength and power but it is now combined with the stamina to do it for most of the 40mins of a game. It isn't just that, it is the fact that he stays on balance and because he does stay on balance his timing is exceptional.

The difference I see this season to the last couple for him is he seems to have the stamina to play deep minutes and still maintain his balance for 2nd and 3rd jump tips late in the game. Kid shows me the will to fight thru no matter what the adversity is, his shear effort, his shear will to battle all that Lville length was just damned impressive as his season has been frankly. Kid that can barely dunk the ball in there battling all that Lville length, all that FSU length and walking away with double doubles nearly every game?

He is being over shadowed a bit by Justin and Joel, maybe even Theo at times but really, he shouldn't be. With out the work Meeks is putting in that many over look, we would not be winning as much as we have been. Just a remarkable senior season from a kid that has had more than his fair share of struggles since coming to us. Man, I would love to see that kid rewarded with a natty ring !

I agree with all of this. Watching the Louisville game again last night.... he did a great job rebounding. There was that stretch early in the second half where there were turnovers on passes either he mishandled, or that never got to him. But he was working hard.... our wings just need to do a bit better at more precise, accurate post entry passes, and he could've had even bigger numbers and helped avoid the surge by Louisville.

KM has vastly improved on finishing once he catches it down low, but our entry passers need to know he's not like a quick-cat, athletic foot speed or jumping guy who is going to be able to overcome / resolve a sloppy, mediocre entry pass.