Meiko Lyles
Guard
6’3”, 185 lbs
High School: University School of Nashville, Nashville, TN
AAU/Travel Team: Nashville Celtics



Meiko Lyles is a silky smooth scorer from Nashville, Tennessee. Lyles has good size at 6’3” and may not be done growing. At 185 pounds, Meiko is solidly built and can take hits while still finishing. Last season, he averaged 22.5 points and 5 assists a game on his way to being named a finalist for the DII-A Mr. Basketball award. At the University School of Nashville, Meiko is coached by Adam Sonn who was himself a Mr. Basketball winner at Donelson Christian Academy and a star at Belmont University before being drafted by the Arkansas Rimrockers in the fourth round of the NBA Developmental League.

Meiko’s AAU coach Charles Clark, describes him as one of the best scorers on the Nashville Celtics, a team full of Division 1 prospects including Florida commit Casey Prather. “He’s a gym-rat. He puts the time in and when you watch him play you can tell he is a little ahead of his peers.” Lyles is an excellent shooter with good form and lift on his jump shot. When he gets hot from the outside watch out. Clark said, “Whenever he shoots it, you think it is going in. He hits timely threes and does not get rattled.” This ability to hit shots can sometimes get Meiko in trouble. Shot selection and ball-handling are the two main areas he needs to improve upon.

Clark describes Lyles as a solid defender. “He’s a better off-the-ball defender because he has really good natural instincts and does a good job getting steals. His on-ball defense is going to have to get better. With his length, he could be a really good on-ball defender once he puts some more time and effort into it.” At the college level, Meiko should be able to defend both guard positions.

Below is a short video of Meiko at the River City Showdown, which the Nashville Celtics won, in Memphis this past summer. This video was shot and edited for APSUGovs.com by our friend Clark Merriam of MemphisRoar.com. Look for a cameo by 2010 recruit Levon Tate.

Meiko is an excellent student, and as a result he is being recruited heavily by several Ivy League schools including Columbia University and Princeton University. Lyles has offers from Missouri State and Georgia State University, the only school he has officially visited. Southeast Missouri State University has shown significant interest, attending every one of his AAU games this summer. Belmont University has been in contact, and it is uncertain how big a roll Coach Sonn will play if Meiko chooses them. The University of Nevada, Reno has also shown a lot of interest since July and are actively recruiting Meiko. Austin Peay had shown interest at some point, but that interest is thought to have waned. Coach Clark says Meiko would like to major in engineering.


What others have to say about Meiko:

MemphisRoar.com Scouting Report from the River City Showdown, Memphis, TN

Meiko Lyles (Nashville Celtics): Lyles, a calm and collective shooting guard, lived up to his position title and then some. Lyles knocked down countless three point shots throughout the River City Showdown. Whether wide open or with a hand in his face, Lyles did not seem to notice or care, as the result almost always ended in three points.

ESPN.com/Scouts Inc.
November, 2007: Lyles is smooth beyond his years and is up to the challenge of improving his game. A great outside shooter who is deadly from the foul-line area. His offensive game is far ahead of its defensive counterpart but Lyles has the athleticism to make this a staple of his game. He hasn’t played as much basketball as his class counterparts and therefore is making huge strides catching up with his peers.

Discussion can found at this link.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/apsugovs

We could really use some feedback on the messageboards. At the very least let us know if you like what we are doing. Traffic has been very steady, but there are very few posting about content. Let us know what you think.
www.apsugovs.com/messageboards