Sitting down with Meeus
Published 12:01 am Tuesday, February 22, 2011
During an interview last week with The Herald, Tom Meeus easily could have kept the focus on himself.
After all, the purpose of the interview was to gather lots of material about Meeus and tell Herald readers more about the talented, intelligent Monroe High School basketball player. But instead of fixating on his many achievements on and off the court, Meeus enthusiastically praised his teammates.
“All of our guys really contributed to this team,” said Meeus, a 6-foot-6 senior post who helped Monroe (17-6 this season) win a share of the Class 4A Western Conference North Division title, a trip to the District 1 championship game and a spot in this week’s regional playoffs.
Then Meeus specifically mentioned senior guards Steven Taylor and Zach Waller, Monroe bench players who practiced with the Bearcats all season but weren’t included on the team’s 12-man postseason roster, effectively ending their prep hoops careers.
Meeus hasn’t forgotten them.
“They’ve definitely been a big part of this team,” Meeus said, “even though they can’t play any more.”
Coach’s corner
Clearly appreciative of his hard-working teammates, Meeus is known for his own incredible work ethic. “Tom never has a bad practice. I do not recall in my four years of coaching him where he did not leave practice drained with energy and completely soaking wet,” Monroe boys basketball coach Nick Wold said. “He dies on the floor each day and that has definitely translated into a solid senior season.”
Rapid reactions
Meeus has played basketball since age 3. What keeps him interested? “I really enjoy the fast pace. It’s really a reaction sport,” said Meeus, “but at the same time there’s a lot of strategy and tactics with it so just being able to react and read defenses and know what players will do — it’s a lot of fun.”
Power in the post
Although he originally didn’t enjoy playing the post position, Meeus grew to like it. “When you’re in the post, the defense is directly in contact with you and it’s a lot of feeling where the defense is. It’s fun posting people up. I like the physical side of it,” he said.
Holding serve
Besides playing basketball, Meeus grew up playing tennis and soccer. He quit soccer when he got to high school but played four years on Monroe High’s varsity tennis team and was a two-time captain.
Adjusting to change
At the end of second grade, Meeus — an only child — and his parents moved from Antwerp, Belgium, to Monroe. Getting used to life in the U.S. wasn’t too difficult, Meeus said, although it took him quite awhile to learn the meaning of certain body language and cultural nuances.
Super scholar
Meeus has a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average and this month was named a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist. “I was definitely honored to receive a national award like that. I was really surprised,” said Meeus, who now has a chance to receive a Merit Scholarship award.
Interested in studying neuroscience, Meeus received a scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh and is waiting to hear back from other colleges he applied to, including Brown University, Cornell University and the University of Washington.
Ready to rock
A big fan of alternative rock music, Meeus listens to bands like Radiohead and Third Eye Blind. This past summer he started learning how to play the guitar. “It’s absolutely challenging. I really like it,” he said. “It’s a different outlet for me. I think it’s something I’ll continue to do for a long time.”
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
