Jodie Meeks says Tubby Smith, win over Duke in 1998 led him to Kentucky

Jodie Meeks put together one of the most impressive individual seasons in Kentucky basketball history in 2008-09, averaging 23.7 points per contest en route to First-Team All-SEC and Second-Team All-America honors. His 854 points that year rank as the second-most in program history, highlighted by his school-record 54-point, ten 3-pointer outing at Tennessee.

The Norcross, GA native is tied for eighth in UK history in made 3-point field goals with 177, seventh with seven career 30-point games and first in single-season 3-point field goals with 117. Oh, and he’s also tied for first in career free-throw percentage at .890 with a minimum of 200 attempts.

If there was ever a Hall of Fame resume, he’s got it. And the school confirmed that by inducting him into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 this past weekend, the men’s basketball legend joining the likes of Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (track and field), John Cropp (administrator/coach), Henrik Larsen (rifle), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (track and field) and Corey Peters (football) in the historic group.

“What a special night, right?” Meeks said Friday evening. “… When I got the call, I was definitely overwhelmed with joy. I didn’t know what to expect or how to feel, but joy is an understatement.”

Meeks would go on to play 10 seasons in the NBA and is now on staff with the New Orleans Pelicans, looking to establish himself as a rising coach after wrapping up a successful career on the hardwood that included an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. His high-profile basketball journey started, though, as an 11-year-old watching Kentucky defeat Duke in the 1998 Elite Eight, the Wildcats coached by Tubby Smith — his future head coach in Lexington.

That was the day he knew he wanted to play for a blue blood.

“As a kid, I always dreamed about going to a big-time basketball school like here. One particular moment stands out in my mind, and that’s Kentucky and Duke in 1998 — I’m getting old, for sure. It was the Elite Eight game, it was a back and forth game,” Meeks said. “Coach (Tubby) Smith was the coach in his first year. I remember telling my parents, ‘I want to go to school just like that.’ And little did I know that it would happen. So another work of the good Lord.”

He wrapped up his Kentucky career playing for Billy Gillispie, but he said Coach Smith was the main draw to Lexington. One crucial meeting in his parents’ kitchen helped him know he wanted to suit up in blue and white.

“Coach Smith was one of the main reasons I came to this school,” he said. “He sat in my parents’ kitchen and he told me — well, I asked him, ‘How much playing time do you think I’m going to get?’ And he said, as only he could say, ‘Hey son, if you win and if you play well, you’ll play. If not, you won’t.’ The other schools were promising playing time and making me a priority and whatnot — this is before NIL [laughs].

“I knew I could trust him from that day forward, because he was honest. He didn’t promise anything. He told me that as long as I work for it, then I’ll get it. So I really appreciate you, Coach.”

And then there is the fanbase that made him feel like the rockstar he was, Big Blue Nation supporting him every step of the way, especially during that magical run in ’08-09 that certainly saw more individual success than team success. As tough of a season that was with the Wildcats losing 14 games and making the NIT ahead of Gillispie’s exit, it was also the year that made him a pro.

For that unwavering support, he is forever grateful.

“UK fans are second to none, and that’s with all sports,” Meeks said. “So I would like to think I’m now part of the family, but at the same time, it’s not just the fans, it’s the community. You guys welcomed me here with open arms from day one.”

Now, the Wildcat legend is a UK Athletics Hall of Famer — as deserving of the honor as anyone.