Cal: No Meeks will hurt UK

During his appearance on a SEC coaches’ teleconference on Monday, John Calipari acknowledged that losing Jodie Meeks will hurt Kentucky next season.

“No way we can be the shooting team we’d be if he was here,” Calipari said.

The new UK coach wished Meeks well.

“You can’t hold these kids back,” Calipari said. “At the end of the day, it was a great choice because that’s what he truly wanted to do.”

Meeks led UK and the SEC in scoring last season with an average of 23.7 points a game. He also set the school record for points in a game by scoring 54 at Tennessee.

Meeks, who would have been a senior next season, was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of last week’s NBA Draft.

Calipari noted that Meeks’ absence will create opportunities for others. He mentioned such players as sophomoe Darius Miller and incoming freshman Darnell Dodson.

Calipari also spoke again of having the two highly regarded freshmen point guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, playing together.

The new UK coach noted how well the heralded freshmen are meshing.

“The best thing I like is they like each other,” he said. “. . . They’re like four brothers.”

But South Carolina Coach (and Lexington native) Darrin Horn noted how a player of Meeks’ experience is difficult to replace.

“You don’t replace what a guy (like Meeks) has just with talent,” Horn said. “He was a high producer on a very consistent basis. You don’t replace that level of experience. . . .

“Experience is so important. Look at every sport on every level. You know what to expect and understand the commitment it takes.”