Tubby Smith’s players have all been surprisingly good at the next level, but I think a lot of that has to do with the failure of his system to show off just how good these guys were in college. I mean every single player he’s coached that has gone on to play basketball professionally has exceeded their expectations upon their exit from UK. Some label that a coach that instilled discipline in his players. I call it a coach that wasn’t very good at displaying the talent he had available to him… And ultimately I think that lack of ability to show off talent cause the talent to dry up in Lexington, and he lost favor with the public.

You’d think with so many of his former players playing professionally there would have been at least one player that was drafted too high and bombed in the league, but that isn’t the case. Guys like Tayshaun Prince, Kelenna Azubuike, Rajon Rondo, Chuck Hayes, Eric Daniels, and Keith Bogans have all had better pro careers than their draft position (or lack there of in some cases).

Anyway, this might not be the correct venue for such a debate. I just get a little turned off by generic “Tubby taught him great defense” comments. Tubby is a decent coach, and a great man. I just don’t think he teaches anything groundbreaking defensively. In fact I prefer the two very different versions of man to man defense the two newest UK coaches teach their teams to the conservative ball-line defense Tubby Smith taught his teams.

First let me say Jodie Meeks was one of the best shot makers in college basketball last year. He can flat out fill it up, and his shot is extremely accurate. Beyond that, he is a really under-rated athlete. He was among the tops in the entire NBA draft camp in both the sprint and vertical leap.

With that said, the reason his athleticism is so under-valued is because he’s only 6′3″ and has short arms. At that height, it would be nice if Meeks had some point guard skills, but that is most definitely the weakest part of his game. He’s very turnover prone, his ball handling is suspect, and he doesn’t see the floor very well. Some of these people want to say Meeks is the best Kentucky player they’ve seen in 35 years, but he wasn’t even the best player on his team last (Patrick Patterson).

I don’t want to take away from the year Meeks had last year. It was really spectacular. He’s a really good shot maker from all spots on the floor. Still, while he single handedly won some games for us, he single handedly lost other games for us. His lack of ability taking care of the ball certainly contributed to a team that was among the worst in the entire NCAA last year in turnovers.

Also while several above are talking very positively about his defense, I thought he was one of the worst defenders on the team. He’s certainly athletically capable of being a good defender, but his MO last year was gambling too much. Sure he’d force some turnovers, but he also got beat a lot. As an on the ball defender, I think there were 5 or 6 Kentucky guards last year that were better than him.

Those are the reasons Meeks was a second round pick, and a lot of people didn’t even think he would be drafted.

His jumpshot is quick and accurate. That alone makes him an asset. I’m just not sure I’d expect him to get any major PT until he improves his ability to handle the ball and pass… If he were 3 inches taller, this whole discussion would be obsolete, but as an undersized guard, he really needs to improve some parts of his game. He’s definitely a good kid, though, and he works as hard as anyone. I hope he proves me wrong. I just don’t see him really making it in the league.

Think of these things:

Meeks played for Tubby Smith. If you look at the other Kentucky players in the league that played for Tubby you will notice they all play great defense. Tubby was a great defensive coach, so you have a guy who will give it his all on the defensive end as well as the offensive end. Meeks is a complete player in that respect.

Meeks can flat out score. As the previous poster said, even with a former coach trying to get him to shoot less Meeks took control of a team that needed a leader and he did what was needed to win. Without Meeks Kentucky would not have won half the games they did his last year.

Meeks was highly under rated in the NBA draft because teams probably just saw a junior who had one really good year. This is a major misconception. Meeks had to overcome a lot of challenges during his collegiate stay.

Meeks had a very good freshman year, but like most freshman he did have an adjustment period. He really looked good when he played though and the fan base was very excited about the young man. During his sophomore year he was hurt most of that year, and as a result really didn’t get to play much which really hurt his stats and hwo people viewed him. (Also keep in mind there was a coaching change, so he also had to learn what the new coach expected of him.) Fans really expected him to break out during his sophomore year, but because of injuries he didn’t get that opportunity.

Then came his junior year, he was healed up and he did EXACTLY what people expected and had a break out year. The fans expected a lot out of Meeks, but they did not expect him to exceed those expectations as much as he did.

I will not go as far as one of the other posters did and say that he is the best player out of Kentucky that I have seen, but he is certainly in that top category. Look at players in the NBA from Kentucky like Keith Bogans and chuck Hayes, both very good players who work hard and make the fans of Kentucky proud. Those guys are hard workers and have made a good showing for themselves. Now look at Meeks and realize that you have a player with not only that type of work ethic, but the athletic skills and determination to succeed in the NBA.

You guys have a gem there, Meeks will help your team. Don’t be surprised to see him eventually become one of your favorite players.

Edward – That’s great news from a long time Kentucky fan. As I pointed out with a couple guys in the piece, a lot of great players have come through there, so it’s lofty praise to put Meeks as the strongest player you’ve seen. My hopes for him are sky high.