UNC Baketball: Kennedy Meeks 2016-17 season review

Senior big man Kennedy Meeks came up big all season, but never as big as in the closing minutes of the National Championship game

At the beginning of the season, many questions surrounded the 2016-17 North Carolina Tar Heels, despite having the pedigree of a well-balanced team with experience and star power.

Would they be able to recover from a heartbreaking defeat in the National Championship game? How would they perform without departed senior leaders Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson? And would anyone in the North Carolina front court be able to step up in place of the latter?

Particularly, would senior big man Kennedy Meeks be able to step up for the Tar Heels in the low post where his former running mate had been so successful over the prior two seasons?

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) reacts at the end of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Many doubted Meeks after an up-and-down career leading up to his senior season at UNC. There were times when he seemed out-of-place, and disconnected from the team. There were even more times that he seemed fatigued and struggling to keep up with the Tar Heels’ fast-paced offense.

Meeks, though, answered the call in his final season at North Carolina.

He averaged just shy of a double-double for the season with 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In fact, he recorded 13 double-doubles on the season and shot better than 55 percent. And he was a terrific offensive rebounder, grabbing 152 of his 378 rebounds beneath the Tar Heels’ goal.

All that, and he was one of the Tar Heels’ most important contributors throughout their run through the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

He notched double-digit rebounds in five of six tournament games and shot better than 62 percent from the floor. He recorded 25 points and 14 rebounds against Oregon in the Final Four and came up with a huge block against Gonzaga in the closing minutes of the title game.

Suffice it to say that the Tar Heels wouldn’t have done what they did this season without the inclusion of Meeks.

And in a familiar turn of events, fans will now question how next season’s team will perform without the play and leadership of one, Kennedy Meeks.

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