6’6 senior John Meeks is a name that has been mentioned numerous times by the Phenom Hoop Report staff and rightfully so. He has attended Phenom camps since the eight grade. It doesn’t seem that long ago, but there’s an old saying, “some things never change.” When John was in the eight grade and attended the NC Junior Phenom camp, we wrote the following. “John’s work ethic and attitude were strong attributes that were very noticeable from the start. He has a solid all around skill set and has a really good understanding of the game. We liked his basketball IQ and ability to play within a team structure. He was extremely unselfish in his play. “ John is a good team player and has a wonderful attitude. He doesn’t take poor shots and his shot selection was strong. He made the right play continuously throughout the day and got his teammates involved, but most of all encouraged those around him.” John enjoyed a strong camp and we expect John to be an impact player next season as a freshman.”
Fast forward to August, 2016 and Head Coach Ron Johnson of The Burlington School stated, “As a coach, you emphasize with your guys to stay focused on getting better everyday…. Literally, that has been John’s approach since his freshman year. In my 19 seasons as a head coach, John may be the hardest worker I’ve had when you talk about off-season preparation and in-season practice.” John’s approach and relentless work ethic has definitely paid dividends. In speaking with Coach Ron Johnson, John picked up an offer from American University as the offer count continues to grow. In addition to American University, John has offers from St. Bonaventure, Columbia, Delaware, Bucknell, Army, Brown, Charleston Southern, Air Force, UNC-G, Colgate and Dartmouth.
John is a high academic student athlete that is currently being recruited by the majority of Ivy League schools. The southpaw has the ability to step out and hit the midrange and the 3-point shot with consistency. He has excellent bounce and will surprise you with his athleticism. More importantly, he plays at a fluid pace and is very poised on and off the court. He’s a high character prospect and teams should jump on the bandwagon sooner rather than later.