Junior guard Amani Meeks fills her role and runs the point dutifully for Kaneland, making sure that all of her teammates get involved somehow on the scoresheet.
Still, coach Brian Claesson has been hoping Meeks would start being a little more aggressive. During the long winter season, it’s ironic how circumstances can force something into action.
The Knights went 0-4 last week, losing three starters to injury. It meant Meeks had no choice now.
“It helped me kind of break out with my confidence, know what I can do and how much I can actually put up,” Meeks said of taking over. “It feels good to have some of my teammates’ backs.
“It’s hard having injuries, then having to step up. It feels good, but at the same time, it also stinks.”
Meeks took that attitude and cleaned up Monday night for the visiting Knights, putting up nine points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 61-21 nonconference victory over Bartlett.
Grace Brunscheen led all scorers with 20 points as Kaneland (18-9) got back on track. Ansley Ruh added 10 points off the bench. Jazzy Clark paced Bartlett (7-21) with 11 points.
Claesson believes that Meeks, who’s in her third varsity season, has it in her to be a more dynamic scorer. He’s hoping that comes to the forefront now with the playoffs rapidly approaching.
“We’ve been telling her to be aggressive,” Claesson said. “She was forced to be aggressive because we lost three starters. I’m hoping that kind of mindset pays off.
“If she plays like that, I don’t think she realizes how good she can actually be.”
The past two seasons, Meeks played in the shadow of backcourt standout Kendra Brown, one of the program’s all-time greats.
For this season, Claesson jump-started Meeks’ development by naming her a captain. Suddenly, she was in a starring, leading role on a team that was starting over with a bunch of new players.
“I have the mindset like, ‘Since she is gone, who is going to take more shots?’” Meeks said of replacing Brown. “Having that role being filled was a key to our team this year.
“I kind of watched and saw how the other captains have been. I’m just embracing the role and trying to be a leader to everyone on the team.”
As the season has gone on, Claesson noticed that Meeks took to her new role gradually.
“She always wants to make the right play,” Claesson said. “Sometimes, she needs to be a little bit selfish. That’s just not who she is. I think it’s a new role for her and she’s starting to embrace it.
“We’re starting to see it. Last week was a tough week and she has stepped up, keeping everyone encouraged. So super proud of her.”
Meeks’ energy is infectious and leads to aggressive play from the whole team. Bartlett coach Pat Ryan, Kaneland’s former football coach, noticed it right away Monday night.
“They’re exceptionally aggressive,” Ryan said. “At times, you could see how badly they wanted the basketball.”
Meeks feels that approach grows from the defensive end of the floor.
“I think it’s just hustle, go after every rebound, push through being tired,” Meeks said. “I love playing defense, so I just have a defensive mindset all the time going into the game.”
People on the outside of the program may not have realized what the Knights had coming back. Losing a star like Brown usually points toward a rebuild. It hasn’t been the case for Kaneland.
“I think people didn’t expect us to come out as on fire as we did,” Meeks said. “I think it’s good to show that we’re still good without her.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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