Hot-shot Meeks was not always a big-time scorer

Cats junior Jodie Meeks drives past Louisville junior Jerry Smith in UofL's 74-71 win on Jan. 4. Meeks scored 28 points in the loss, including seven in the final minute. Photo by Kristin Sherrard | Staff

Jodie Meeks can’t shoot. That’s not a lie.

That was the knock against Meeks coming out of Norcross (Ga.) High School. He was always considered to be a great finisher at the rim and to have the ability to drive past a defender, but he was not known as a shooter.

Fast forward to the 2008-09 season. Meeks has already knocked down 67 3-pointers and is shooting 44 percent from behind the arc. Not to mention he broke the UK record for most 3-pointers made in a game when he drilled 10 in his well-documented record night at Tennessee. The previous co-record holders were Meeks and mid-90s sharpshooter Tony Delk. They had each hit nine long-balls in one outing.

“In high school I was more of a driver,” Meeks said during a Wednesday news conference.

Delk, who played at UK from 1993-96, said Meeks’ ability to drive, finish and get to the free-throw line has helped Meeks improve his shooting. Delk said the ability to drive around a defender, and the understanding that he could do that, is another sign of a good player.

“Another thing with Jodie is that he’s proving now he can get to the free-throw line,” Delk said in a phone interview. “When you’re a goodshooter, the defense has to play up on you, but then you can get around them and get to that basket for an easy score. Or a foul.”

One of Meeks’ suitors out of high school was Georgia head coach Dennis Felton. Felton said Meeks’ toughness impressed him in high school, but that he never would have imagined the junior’s recent success shooting the ball.

“We recruited Jodie and wanted him very, very badly,” Felton said. “If he had a hole in his game, I thought it was shooting from the perimeter. He started to turn the corner his senior year (of high school), but nothing like what he’s doing now.”

What helped Meeks turn the corner is his ability to make his jump shot nearly impossible to defend. Delk said because Jodie has such a quick release and almost always has his shoulders squared, it’s becoming even more difficult to defend him.

When the NCAA decided to push the 3-point line back a foot this year, the plan was discouraging to shooters. However, Meeks has found a home at the new line, and that has helped elevate his NBA stock.

“NBA scouts are looking at it too, and they’re saying if a guy can move back a foot and still shoot at a good, high percentage, he can probably move back to the NBA line just as easily,” Delk said. “I think Jodie is playing like a top-10 pick right now, the way he’s shooting. If he keeps doing it, he can move up to the top-five range, maybe.”

With the NBA Draft still months away, Felton said there is just one simple question running through the mind of Big Blue Nation and Southeastern Conference coaches, including Felton:

“Is anyone in the country playing better than Jodie Meeks right now?”