West Charlotte High School alum leads UNC to Final Four win

Kennedy Meeks scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in one of the biggest games of his life.

Meeks, a forward on the University of North Carolina basketball team, helped lead the Tar Heels to a 77-76 win over Oregon in the Final Four on Saturday.

The Charlotte native will next be playing for a national championship. UNC plays Gonzaga at 9:20 p.m. on Monday in the NCAA finals.

Meeks has come a long way since he played center at West Charlotte High School under Coach Baronton Terry.

Before Meeks graduated in 2013, he was a force to be reckoned with at 6 foot 8 inches tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds.

"He was the biggest kid on campus, and he was kind of large, a little out of shape, and we started running and conditioning," Terry said.

But Terry said it wasn't just Meeks’ size and skill, it was his determination and will to overcome adversity.

"Just that ability to fight through, it will give you that edge," he said.

Terry said Meeks worked hard, helped the team win a state title and gained national recognition as an All-American.

More importantly, he was a team player.

"He's probably the best teammate I’ve ever coached," Terry said.

Last year, the Tar Heels suffered a heartbreaking loss against Villanova, which took the win and the national title at the buzzer. This time around, Meeks is getting a rare second chance, and it'll be his last as a senior at UNC.

"He's a winner. I mean, he finds a way to win," Terry said.

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