Meeks picks pros

No guarantee to be drafted in first round

By Jerry Tipton / jtipton@herald-leader.com

With Meeks gone, which UK player will make the most three-pointers this season?

Star guard Jodie Meeks was "relieved" to have behind him the decision to stay in the June 25 NBA Draft and forgo his senior season at the University of Kentucky.

UK Coach John Calipari broke the news on his Twitter page Monday, sending a message that read "Jodie called ... He's excited and I'm excited for him. I wish I got the chance to coach him."

Meeks faced a deadline of 5 p.m. Monday to withdraw from this year's NBA Draft.

"I just feel relieved that it's over," Meeks said of his decision. "I gave it a lot of thought. I played really well in the workouts and I got a lot of feedback."

When asked about the feedback he received, Meeks said, "It's not fair to share. But it was good feedback. It was enough feedback for me to stay in the draft."

Meeks, who plans to keep doing workouts, said he doesn't know what team will take him and he doesn't have a preference.

"I'm a pretty confident guy and I feel like I can go pretty high," Meeks said.

Meeks was not projected as a first-round pick in mock drafts compiled by Chad Ford of ESPN.com nor the Web site Draftexpress.com.

In an earlier assessment of Meeks posted on the ESPN Web site, Ford wrote "His speed and shooting ability really stood out. ... However, his lack of great size or explosive athleticism hurts his stock a bit.

"He really hasn't done anything to separate himself from the pack in the draft, and most likely will return for his senior season at Kentucky, where he could be playing for a team with national championship aspirations."

One of ESPN's college basketball analysts, Jay Bilas, said that Meeks' departure won't sink Kentucky's 2009-10 season. He noted that Meeks' impact would have been diluted a bit by having to learn a new system.

"Is it a hit? Yes," Bilas said. "Is it a huge hit? Not really."

Even without Meeks, Bilas still projected Kentucky as "definitely" a top-20 team.

Bilas acknowledged being "a little surprised" by Meeks' decision.

"He seems at the top of the second round right now," said Bilas, who will work the June 25 draft as an analyst/commentator.

Bilas saw Meeks as possibly improving his draft standing by playing a year in Calipari's dribble-drive system. Calipari made that point this spring in assessing the draft status of Patrick Patterson and Meeks. Patterson subsequently withdrew from the draft before working out for a team.

It's still possible for Meeks to return to UK next season. If he is not drafted, he must submit a letter to UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart within 30 days asking to re-join the team. Meeks would not be eligible for reinstatement if he retained the services of an agent, which he has not.

Former UK player Randolph Morris regained his eligibility after not being picked in the 2005 NBA Draft even though he associated with an agency.

"It was a very tough decision," Meeks said. "I gave it a lot of thought. I know Coach Calipari is a great coach. I'm confident Kentucky will still do well. But in the long run, I had to do what's best for me."

Calipari was not available for further comment, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said.

When asked about Calipari's reaction, Meeks said, "I'm sure he's disappointed. But he also said he was going to support me fully.

"He said I'll never hear any negative reaction from him."

Meeks showed unusual stamina, mentally and physically, in his three UK seasons. A freshman season (8.7 ppg) filled fans with anticipation. A rash of injuries delayed those hopes and all but wiped out his sophomore season.

Then Meeks more than made up for lost time as a junior this past season. He led the team and the Southeastern Conference with a scoring average of 23.7 points, the highest by a UK player since Dan Issel's 33.9 ppg in 1969-70.

Besides being the nation's eighth most prolific scorer, Meeks also led the SEC in free-throw accuracy (90.2 percent), three-point accuracy (40.6 percent) and three-point baskets per game (3.25).

Meeks was named to the All-SEC team last season and was a prime candidate for SEC Player of the Year. On more than one occasion, he led Kentucky to victory or kept the Cats competitive.

Meeks broke Issel's 39-year-old single-game school scoring record by tallying 54 points at Tennessee. That also broke the scoring record for UT's Thompson-Boling Arena. Later, Meeks broke the scoring record in Bud Walton Arena by scoring 45 at Arkansas. His 46 points against Appalachian State were the most by a UK player in Freedom Hall.

In a brief news release announcing Meeks' decision, UK touted those games as the three highest-scoring totals by a player in regulation time that season.

"I accomplished a lot," Meeks said of his three UK seasons. "It was kind of a roller coaster: a really good freshman year. Sophomore year was frustrating because I was injured. The junior year, I just focused on getting healthy and getting in shape. It ended up being one of the best years in Kentucky history."

In each season, Meeks made the SEC's academic honor roll.

Overall, he called the period, "some of the best times of my life.

"In my heart I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat," he said. "I don't want people to feel I'm unhappy."