University of North Carolina Athletics
First Person: Kennedy Meeks
April 1, 2017 | Men's Basketball
My freshman year, I failed eleven different times to make the 12-minute run. It was probably my hardest time at Carolina. I was very close to giving up on myself, and it was a very rough time.
I'd go on a walk or drive around, because I had to clear my mind. I knew I had come so far, and I knew I needed to lose weight, but in my mind I was still a great player. I just needed to lose the weight. And when I finally made that 12-minute run, I made a promise to myself that I would never go back to those unhealthy ways.
And with the help of people like Coach Williams and the coaching staff, plus Jonas Sahratian and Doug Halverson, I've had so many people help me succeed. I can't describe how thankful I am to have had them in my life. People don't know how much Jonas and Doug have meant to me, and how many hours they've put in with me.
And now I'm here in Phoenix. No matter what, my college career is going to end at the Final Four. I'm trying my hardest to enjoy it. Last year, I think I didn't take the time to enjoy the fact that we made it that far. At some point, you have to take your mind off the fact that you're in the Final Four, because focusing on that puts even more pressure on yourself.
This is my last time with my teammates, and I have the best teammates in the world. This is the perfect way to end it. We want to cap it off with winning a championship. We have an incredible opportunity in front of us.
The night before the Kentucky game, we had our usual team meeting and snack at the team hotel. I started talking to the team, and I got a little teary eyed. It was very emotional for me. I told them that I would do whatever it took to get us a win, whether that meant scoring points or getting rebounds or setting screens or anything that it took. I wanted to do everything that I possibly could to the best of my ability to put us in a position to get a win. I know how much I want this, and I know how much Coach Williams wants this.
He is the one who recruited me and believed that I could be a very good college basketball player. My mom and I didn't have that much when I was growing up. She tried her hardest to support my siblings and me, and it was rough at times. All I wanted and all I wished for was to be put in a position where I could help my family out of those situations. I come from a rough part of Charlotte. Some of my close friends have been killed. So you can see why it means everything to me that my mom and my brothers and sisters can come all the way out here to Phoenix to watch me play. I definitely play for them. They give me so much joy. To see them smile, there is no better feeling in the world.
Every now and then, I'll see myself go across the screen on ESPN, and I'll call my mom and say, “I can't believe this is happening.” I really can't. God has gotten me here, and I'll never forget where I came from. I hope that my brothers and sisters look up to me for my hustle and for my grind. And I hope they also know that every game I play is for them.
And now I know that, at most, I have two games left to play for North Carolina. When I came here, I knew I would be part of the Carolina family, but I had no idea what that really meant. I had no idea it would be this close knit. I'm so thankful to the coaches, my teammates and Carolina fans for letting me be part of it.
We have the opportunity of a lifetime this weekend. I know that I'm going to do everything I can possibly do to take advantage of it, and to make my family proud, and to make Tar Heels everywhere proud.
