University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Player Profile - Trent Meacham

Player Profile: Trent Meacham
Position: Guard
Height: 6'2"
Class: Senior
Hometown: Champaign, IL

Player Summary

Meacham has probably received quite a bit more playing time than he ever thought he would get when he transferred back to his hometown from Dayton University. He plays hard, intelligently, consistently, and is a good shooter. He's a pretty average player in many aspects, but his shooting will find him some minutes. It doesn't hurt that he is also the leading returning scorer for the Illini. His minutes are likely to diminish his senior season. Like the other Illini guards, Meacham will face increased competition when Kentucky transfer Alex Legion joins the team in December.

Statistics for '07-'08 Basketball Season

Minutes: 29.6
Points: 10.1
Rebounds: 2.4
Assists: 2.3
Steals: 0.7
Blocks: 0.1

Player Strengths

In a word, Meacham's strength is shooting. Meacham is a very good stand-still shooter. He's the kind of guy you can bring in off the bench when you need to stretch the defense. Meacham also plays hard, plays smart, and is a quiet leader on the court. He's capable of scoring 20 on any given night if his shot is falling.

Player Weaknesses

Meacham sometimes looks a little over-matched at the high Division I level. He doesn't have great athleticism and has been asked, out of necessity, to do a little too much in the past season. Meacham really doesn't excel at any area other than shooting from a stationary position. While the effort is consistently there, his jump shot is very streaky. When his shot is off, other than playing a heady floor game, he just isn't that much of an asset for the Illini.

Player Projections

The addition of guards Alex Legion at mid-year and Jamar Smith will decrease the amount of time that Meacham sees on the court. There will just be too many guards to compete with next year to sustain the kind of minutes he played last year. Meacham may start the year as a starter, but even if he doesn't, he'll have a place as a backup to Jamar Smith as the designated shooter. He could be a role player and specialist on a good Illini team. Regardless, he's already had a pretty successful Illini career for a walk-on transfer from Dayton. That turned out to be a pretty good decision for both Meacham and the program.

Projected Statistics for Illini '08-'09 Basketball Season

Minutes: 12.5
Points: 6.0
Rebounds: 1.3
Assists: 1.3
Steals: 0.2
Blocks: 0.0

Sources:
ESPN
InsideIllini