Thursday, June 11, 2009

Meeks Not Returning?

With the news that Matt Pilgrim and Kevin Galloway were both leaving the Kentucky basketball program -- and thereby dropping the number of Wildcats on scholarship to 12 -- many thought that could signify Jodie Meeks withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft and returning to Lexington.

In an offseason that has otherwise been perfect for Kentucky, it might not end on a good note.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Meeks could be leaning towards keeping his name in the draft pool.

"[The] players think he won't come back," the source said. "He should come back, [but] I have no idea. [He's] unpredictable."

If Meeks does return, Kentucky will fight with Kansas for the preseason No. 1 ranking in the country. He is a potential All-American and would form a dynamite backcourt tandem with incoming freshman John Wall.

Wall and fellow five-star recruits DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe will all play under new head coach John Calipari next season. In addition to the recruiting coup, potential All-American Patrick Patterson withdrew from the NBA Draft and returned to the Wildcats.

Meeks, a 6-5 guard, averaged 23.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season, shooting nearly 41 percent from three-point range. He scored 54 points against Tennessee in January, and scored more than 30 points in a game on five other occasions. If he does stay in the Draft, he is projected as a mid-second round pick.

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