Invariably, there’s a question big guys who play basketball will have to answer: Did they choose the game or did the game choose them?
For years, Braxton Meah, a 7-foot-1 center for the Washington men’s basketball team, resided in the latter category.
“In sixth grade I think I was 6-1 or 6-2,” he said. “I’ve always been big. I’ve always been told, ‘You should play basketball.’ My coaches would put me on the block and play me at center because I was the biggest guy on the team.
“But yeah, that love for the game didn’t happen until much later.”
The Layton, Utah native who grew up in nearby Roy, Utah played basketball for as long as he can remember, but he didn’t take the game seriously until he was 15 and faced with the biggest decision of his life.
Given a choice of remaining with his parents Ray and Natalie who took a job in Okinawa, Japan or going to Fresno, Calif. to pursue his basketball dreams, Meah moved in with Myisha Pondexter whose younger brother Quincy, the former Huskies star, coached his AAU team Vegas Elite.
“It was life changing,” said Meah who played his junior year at San Joaquin Memorial in Fresno after two years at Layton’s Christian Academy. “New scenery. New people. It was just crazy. I was kind of overwhelmed when I first got there. I’ve always lived in a certain area and knew all the people around me because Roy is a small city.”
On the court, Meah’s game grew — literally and figuratively.
The 7-footer and three-star recruiting prospect drew interest from Arizona State, Clemson and Virginia Tech before choosing Fresno State.
During his first two years, Meah was a part-time player who made a minimal impact on a middling Mountain West team, which prompted another move and a transfer to Washington.
After just two months, he’s already scored more points with the Huskies (137) than he did with the Bulldogs (135).
“I was looking for a bigger role,” Meah said when asked why he transferred to UW. “I wanted to show everyone that I should be playing basketball.”
At Fresno, Meah averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.4 blocks and 8.7 minutes in 55 games off the bench while shooting 71.4% from the field.
This season, Meah is averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 22.4 minutes in 14 starts while shooting 70.1% from the field.
“I hear a lot from the naysayers and everyone who thought I was just that big 7-footer that couldn’t play,” Meah said. “A lot of people thought I was just big. But I just wanted to show that I can actually play basketball.
“I hate to say it, but you just hear stuff. You do. You hear it from people. It comes out sometimes. But that’s what motivates me because it makes me want to get in the gym, lock in and be better and do everything I can to put all of those claims to sleep.”
Meah made his biggest improvement at the free-throw line with an unorthodox, one-handed shot created last summer that raised his percentage to 69% (29 of 42) after shooting a 43.1% clip (25 of 58) at Fresno State.
“That’s all Coach Quincy and Luke Jackson our graduate assistant,” Jones said. “They’ve known and coached Braxton a lot longer than me. That’s something they felt he needed to do in order to knock them down and it’s working. It’s made a huge difference.
“When I saw it the first time, I was like what is that? As I saw him get comfortable with it and continue to make it at a high rate, I was like OK this is what it is.”
Hopkins added: “I was hesitant when I watched it, but boy when he makes 10 in a row in practice and the confidence that he has in it and seeing the improvement, that’s been a lot of fun to watch.”
Meah had the best outing of the season on Sunday while scoring a career-high 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting, including eight dunks, seven rebounds and three blocks during Washington’s 74-49 loss to No. 10 UCLA.
“I see an unlimited amount of potential in Braxton because I see a guy who is 7-1, runs the court like a guard, and moves very well, front to back and side to side,” said UW assistant Wyking Jones who works closely with Husky forwards and centers. “And he’s extremely explosive. He has a very high ceiling and a lot of room to continue to grow. I don’t see him meeting his full potential for a while. That’s what is really exciting. The room for growth is there and he’s really good already.”
Meah became invaluable when backup center Franck Kepnang, who averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 22.9 minutes in eight games, suffered a season-ending knee injury Dec. 1 at Oregon State.
“Franck was that guy who could come in and we had a great two-headed monster,” coach Mike Hopkins said. “If one of them got in foul trouble, you might get better on the other end.”
During seven games without Kepnang, Meah is averaging 25.3 minutes, which is 8.3 more than he did during the seven games when he paired with Kepnang.
More minutes has equated to more production and an early breakout season for one of the least heralded UW newcomers.
“Braxton plays with a chip on his shoulder because he hasn’t had the opportunities that he feels like he should have had in the past,” Jones said. “And I play on that as a coach. I try to remind him, let’s make the most and seize the moment.”
Meah’s is peaking at the right time for the slumping Huskies (9-6, 1-3) considering they take their three-game losing streak into Thursday’s 8 p.m. matchup against No. 5 Arizona (13-1, 2-1).
The Wildcats are led by a dominant frontcourt duo of forward Azuolas Tubelis, the Pac-12’s scoring leader at 20.1 points per game, and center Oumar Ballo, who averages 17.4 points and a league-leading 9.3 rebounds.
Hopkins said Meah learned invaluable lessons in his last outing going against UCLA forwards Jamie Jacquez and Adem Bodem, who finished with 17 and 18 points, respectively.
“He played with foul trouble (and) he was still aggressive,” Hopkins said. “That’s something that he’s learned. We need him on the court.”