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Class of 2013 Forward Kennedy Meeks Nears Decision: Georgetown or North Carolina?

By CasualHoya
espn.com

UPDATE: KENNEDY MEEKS HAS CHOSEN NORTH CAROLINA OVER GEORGETOWN.


Meeks, ranked by ESPN as the 20th best player in the Class of 2013, has narrowed his list to Georgetown and North Carolina. This article from the Charlotte Observer highlights a few interesting things about Meeks and his recruitment, which I have graciously and generously brought out in beautiful bullet points below.

  • He can sign as early as Wednesday, when the NCAA's early signing period for basketball begins.
  • Meeks is a National Honor Society student.
  • Meeks wears size 17 shoes.
  • Georgetown coach John Thompson III and his staff attended church with Meeks and his family and then came to the house to enjoy fried-baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, greens, green beans, pulled corn and yams.
  • When North Carolina coach Roy Williams visited in September, he was to arrive at 5:30 p.m. Because the big meal was always earlier, the family prepared a dessert bar and planned for an hourlong visit. Williams sampled the six different desserts and settled on the coconut cake. He enjoyed two slices. Williams and assistant coaches C.B. McGrath and Hubert Davis didn't leave until about 9 p.m.
  • "I just felt like I had the best opportunity with those two," he said last week. "I figured if I was to stay two years and leave (for the NBA), I could still come back and get my education. Those degrees are known around the whole country. Basketball-wise, both of them have good coaches and great teams.
  • ESPN national recruiting analyst Dave Telep said Meeks will bring great ability to either school. As a post player, he has a knack for catching passes thrown anywhere near him. He has the same knack of controlling rebounds. That early baseball pitching prowess he displayed at 3 shows up in his basketball outlet passes. He hits teammates with long, accurate two-handed and one-handed tosses that ignite fast breaks.
  • "While his list is trimmed to two schools, Meeks said he's unsure when he'll make his decision. "I was thinking about making it in November," he said. "I'm not sure if I'll be ready. I might want to watch the season for a little bit, to see whichever one of them is right for me."
  • Most of all, he wants to make his family proud - especially the three women who mean the most to him. "My grandma raised me with my mom and my aunt," Meeks said. "They've been the backbone of everything. They've helped me with my grades. They've been there for me. Oh my gosh, they mean the whole world.

Takeaways:

Unlike recent Hoya target Johnathan Williams III who chose Missouri in one of the more embarrassing announcement shows in the history of the world that did not involve shaving a logo into his head, Meeks seems like more of a Georgetown type of kid. Like current Hoya Stephen Domingo, Meeks and his family value education and both are good students, so it's no surprise that these two programs with quality academic reputations are on his final list. Meeks is a post-player in the mold of Michael Sweetney, a big physical presence with great hands who can finish around the rim - this is EXACTLY what Georgetown needs.

If Meeks needs any advice from us here at THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON as to which school to choose, we humbly offer the below. First, this article on former Hoya Greg Monroe in which Monroe states the following about his time at Georgetown:

"My two years there, the way they coach, they don't just coach you for their system, they coach you for basketball, period. In that system, you learn how to make reads, how to play off the ball, how to make plays for others with the ball. I definitely learned a lot, I still use a lot that they taught me, and I just try and expand from that. "

And second, the below video filmed after Georgetown defeated North Carolina in the 2007 East Regional to advance to the Final Four.


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