COLUMN: Meeks’ legacy extends past 54

What have we learned since Jodie Meeks’ record-breaking performance in Tennessee?

Meeks is really good.

Patrick Patterson is really good.

UK is not very good when those two are average or missing in action.
We’ve been witness to a historic season from Meeks. With 26 points in the loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Meeks brought his career points total to 1,063, moving him past Erik Daniels into the top 50 scorers in UK history.

His 671 points this season are already more than any Cat since Ron Mercer recorded 725 points in the 1996-97 season. If Meeks keeps up his 25 points-per-game average over the final five regular season games, he’ll finish with almost 800 points, the second most by any Cat in one season.

Dan Issel scored a record 948 points in the 1969-70 season. Of course, Meeks knows a thing or two about breaking Issel’s records. If UK managed to turn its recent slide around and play six postseason games (possibly a run to the SEC tournament final and into the NCAA Sweet 16), Meeks would have an outside shot at Issel’s record.

Meeks’ 98 3-point field goals are three short of the UK record for threes in one season. Travis Ford currently holds the record with 101 threes in the 1992-93 season.

His seven 30-point games are fourth-most in a season in UK history. Only two players, Issel and Cotton Nash, have recorded more.

In the nine games since Meeks’ record-breaking performance, we’ve been constantly reminded of just how special his season has been. But his influence may be most prevalent when he doesn’t play up to his own lofty standards.

The Cats are 5-4 in those nine games. In the four losses, Meeks has only scored more than 21 points once, and that was Tuesday when he scored seven of UK’s last nine points after the game had already been decided. He finished with 26.

Without Patrick Patterson in the lineup, Meeks has shouldered the burden. He channeled his Thompson-Boling Arena performance during the first game without Patterson, finishing with a Bud Walton Arena record (45 points) at Arkansas. The second game, of course, didn’t go as well.

But even after his seemingly disappointing performance at Vanderbilt, his coach said those who would label his performance as a struggle should think twice.

“The numbers look bad,” UK head coach Billy Gillispie said. “But he played his heart out. He worked hard on offense and defense. I know the numbers indicate struggle, but I don’t see it that way.”

UK’s offensive woes have made Meeks’ performance that much more impressive. If UK fans know that the first, second and third goals are for Meeks or Patterson to score, then UK opponents surely have gotten the memo.

Meeks has had the spotlight of opponent’s defense planted firmly on him since the 54-point performance. For the most part, he hasn’t let that faze him.

“I thought they did a pretty good job of trying to deny me as much as possible, but I had some pretty good looks I just didn’t knock down,” Meeks said.

Gillispie said he couldn’t remember too many open looks that Meeks didn’t convert.

When asked to compare his 45-point performance at Arkansas with his 26-point game at Vanderbilt, Meeks was direct in his assessment.

“Saturday, I just knocked down some shots offensively,” Meeks said. “I thought they did a pretty similar job of defending me.”

The rematch against Tennessee this weekend will just be the latest example of a UK opponent trying to avoid being the next team caught on the Jodie Meeks highlight reel. The attention is nothing new for Meeks. He knows that to win the game, he has to knock shots down that his coach and others might not describe as “easy looks.”

After all, the most important lesson from this magical season is: The Cats, minus an amazing Jodie Meeks, haven’t been all that special.

Jon Hale is a journalism senior. E-mail jhale@kykernel.com.