Meeks to quickly start pro career

Former Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks expects to begin his pro career within days of being taken by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Meeks plans to travel to Milwaukee on Sunday to participate in the Bucks’ rookie camp next week.

Then the week after that, Meeks expects to play for the Bucks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, which gives rookies and free agents a taste of NBA play.

Meeks led UK and the Southeastern Conference in scoring last season. His scoring average of 23.7 ppg ranked among the nation’s top five and marked Kentucky’s best since Dan Issel in 1969-70.

Meeks’ prolific scoring included a school record 54 points at Tennessee. That broke Issel’s 39-year-old school record and marked the most by any player in Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena.

Meeks later set the scoring record for Bud Walton Arena when he scored 45 points at Arkansas. His 46 points against Appalachian State was the most by a UK player in Freedom Hall.

By keeping his name in the NBA Draft, Meeks chose not to return to Kentucky for his senior season. Thus ended a tumultuous three seasons for UK that included a promising freshman season (a then career-high 18 at Louisville helped UK beat its arch rival). Injuries marred his sophomore season.

Then Meeks made up for lost time as a junior by becoming a SEC and national player of the year candidate.

By staying in the draft, Meeks ignored projections of being taken in the second round or not at all. He also chose to bypass the opportunity to play for John Calipari and the new Kentucky coach’s much-ballyhooed dribble-drive offense.

Calipari suggested that Meeks could elevate his draft status into the first round by playing in the pro-friendly dribble-drive offense.

For what it’s worth, two Memphis seniors did not reap such a benefit. Robert Dozier was the 60th and last player chosen in the two-round draft. Antonio Anderson was not drafted.

One Memphis player, freshman Tyreke Evans, was taken in the first round on Thursday. Much like Derrick Rose the year before, Evans came to Memphis as a heralded prospect and turned pro after one season.