UNC Basketball: Slimmed-Down Kennedy Meeks Already Impressing for Tar Heels

There were plenty of storylines to track as North Carolina began the 2014-15 season. But the one that's drawn the most attention feels like something out of a gossip magazine and better suited for a person famous for being famous than a college basketball player.

Have you seen how much weight Kennedy Meeks has lost? What's his secret? Is that healthy? OMG, I'm so jealous!

That's an embellished version of the reactions Meeks has gotten since the summer, when he first unveiled his svelte new body after shedding nearly 50 pounds since arriving at UNC a year ago. Now weighing in at 270 pounds on his 6'9" frame, the sophomore power forward's upgraded physique has been all the talk during the Tar Heels' first two games.

And rightly so.

A year after showing much promise but little stamina, Meeks has been far and away the most improved and most effective player on UNC's roster. In wins over North Carolina Central and Robert Morris, Meeks is second on the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) and tops in the rebounding department (10.5). That includes eight offensive boards, and he's done that in just 17 minutes per contest due to the blowout nature of the games.

Last season, Meeks averaged 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, moving into the starting lineup midway through the year, but because of poor conditioning and a lack of energy, he only played 16.3 minutes per night.

But with less weight to carry around and more mobility as a result, Meeks is now showing off moves laterally and vertically that he couldn't do in 2013-14.

"He's becoming that player that coach really wants him to be," frontcourt teammate Brice Johnson told Andrew Carter of The News & Observer. "He's a lot more explosive than he was last year."

Johnson himself has been impressive. Like Meeks, Johnson has transformed his body, having added bulk to his 6'9" frame that's enabled him to average a team-best 17.5 points and eight rebounds. The improvement of those two combined is one of the biggest keys to UNC having success this season, but with Johnson, the rise was more expected after he went from 5.4 points per game as a freshman to 10.3 last season.

With Meeks, there was a lot more uncertainty. But at this point, the doubts are starting to dissipate.

"What we have to do is see that over the course of the season," UNC coach Roy Williams told reporters after the Robert Morris game, referencing his entire frontcourt. 

Meeks hasn't faced a true challenge from those playing opposite him yet, however, so the early results do need to be taken with a grain of salt. That will change in due time, with UNC potentially facing promising big men from Florida, Georgetown, UCLA or Wisconsin at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Two weeks later, Meeks will have to deal with Kentucky's overabundance of post players.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.