Ex-Nevada participant Zane Meeks transfers to 3-point-loving San Francisco
Zane Meeks is moving west a few hours to reach his next college destination.
The former wolf pack striker, who posted his name on the NCAA transfer portal last month, has gotten involved with the University of San Francisco. The 6-foot-9,215-pound product from Prairie Village, Kan., Will have three remaining seasons at the Dons from the 2021-22 campaign.
Meeks was a part-time starter for Nevada last year before a knee injury sabotaged the end of his season. At the start of 10 of the 18 games he appeared in, Meeks averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. He shot 47 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three. As a freshman, Meeks averaged 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game on 43 percent shooting, of which 36.4 percent of three. His 40 3-pointers made were the fourth most for a newbie wolf pack.
“I’m very excited to add Zane to our program,” said USF trainer Todd Golden in a press release. “He’s a proven goalscorer on the forecourt who also excels as a rebounder. As a confident perimeter shooter, he can really stretch the ground and has the ability to complete with skillful shots on and around the edge. He’s a great student, has a great one. ” Basketball IQ and blends in seamlessly with the other high performing student-athletes we have here on the hill. “
Last season, Meeks missed three games with a knee injury in January. After returning for four games against UNLV and Boise State, he did not play in the last five games of the Wolf Pack with knee tendonitis. Meeks’ high-scoring career ended with a 72-62 win over UNLV on Feb.2. He scored 19 points with eight rebounds. It was one of the last times Meeks played for the wolf pack. Alford spoke beaming about Meeks after this UNLV performance.
“The thing about Zane is that he can, and I told him that later,” said Alford. “‘You can guard. You can pass. And of course you can shoot it and score.’ It’s all about whether you choose to do other things than just shoot, if he does we’re really good because he’s a very good rebounder and I thought his defense in the second half was way better. When he’s on watch his minutes go up. It’s really an easy thing for him because we know he can shoot it and I know he can give us an offensive spark late in the game. “
Meeks is participating in a USF program attending the West Coast Conference. The Dons went 11-14 and 4-9 in the WCC last season, which was Golden’s second year in the program. USF went 22-12 overall and 9-7 for the WCC in Golden’s first season. The Dons defeated Nevada, 85-60, last year and also scored a big surprise over the then No. 4 ranked Virginia, 61-60. They also defeated the Grand Canyon NCAA tournament team during the regular season.
USF could be a good match for Meeks, who has been one of Nevada’s top three-point shooters for the past two seasons. The Dons averaged 10.4 points per game last season, the sixth most in the nation. They averaged 30.4 3-point tries per game, putting them in second place nationwide behind St. Josephs (30.4 per game).
There’s a good chance Meeks will face the wolf pack in the coming season. Nevada and USF were scheduled to play a two-game series in 2020-21, but the second half of that series, which was played at the War Memorial in the Sobrato Center, has been canceled following local COVID-19 restrictions in the Bay Area.
“In the event that no appointment can be made this year, the game on Sunday will be postponed to the 2021-22 season. The wolf pack is coming to the war memorial in Sobrato to complete the original home-and-home series,” USF said in a press release in December.
Meeks joins three graduate transfers previously signed with the Dons, including Yauhen Massalski from San Diego, Gabe Stefanini from Colombia and Patrick Tapé from Duke. Meeks is one of three players broadcasting this off-season. Kane Milling recently signed with UC Davis while Robby Robinson remains in the transfer market.
