Jodie Meeks: Player Spotlight

Wow! Jodie Meeks just lit up the Tennessee Volunteers for 54 points, breaking the University of Kentucky scoring record that has stood since Dan Issel had 53 in 1970 against Mississippi. Meeks also set the team record for three-pointers made in a game. Can we say he should be put in the running for the Player of the Year award?

Here is Meeks’ line score:

54 pts 8 rebs 4 ast 15-22 fg 10-15 3pt and 14-14 ft

Why should Jodie Meeks be considered for player of the year? It is simple: The man can play.

Now in his junior year, Meeks had only averaged 8.8 ppg his freshman and sophomore years. His sophomore year was riddled with injuries. However, he was able to come back at the end of the year and help the Wildcats make it to the NCAA tourney despite the absence of Co-SEC Freshman of the year, Patrick Patterson.

Coming into tonight’s game, Meeks was averaging 24.2 ppg and had really shot out the lights in almost every game this year, scoring over 30 points in four games, over 20 in five games, and almost 20 in five other games. Now, he is the highest single game scorer and three-point shooter in UK’s history.

At the beginning of the year, he was trying too hard to take over games, and then his team found him more and more on give and goes, screens, for catch and shoot situations. However, in the Tennessee game, he controlled the ball, made awesome cuts to get open when he was not the ball handler, and just was unstoppable.

UT had no answer for him. Foul him, he went perfect from the line; leave him open, he drained the three; two bodies on him, he sped past or went over them. Just unstoppable.

Jodie Meeks switched from number 20 and now wears the infamous number 23. Most people cannot live up to the number's most famous wearer, none other than Michael Jordan. So far this year, even though it is only in the college hoops ranks, he is living up to it.

“I want to thank my teammates for finding me open in the wings... all I wanted to do was win, as the first two years I didn’t get a win here (at Tenn.), and I just wanted to win. I am speechless...”—the after game quote from Jodie.

No Jodie, UK and Your Fans are speechless; you dropped the best game ever by an individual in UK’s storied history, and did it on Tennessee’s home court. We could not ask for anything better. Thank You Sir!

PS, QUIT EDITING MY HEADLINES!