Say what you want about his recent lack of postseason success, but nothing has changed when it comes to John Calipari’s prowess on the recruiting trail. The Hall of Fame coach should never be counted out when he locks on to a five-star prospect — a fact Arkansas basketball fans are realizing with the recruitment of Meleek Thomas.
When the Razorbacks secured a commitment from Darius Acuff, the No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class, last month, the general consensus amongst national media was that it also meant they were out of the running for Thomas.
In their minds, Acuff was the first domino to fall that would eventually result in Thomas heading to UConn and Darryn Peterson heading to Kansas.
The logic made sense, considering each of them — all of whom are ranked inside the top 8 nationally in the 247Sports Composite — are lead guards who might not want to go somewhere they wouldn’t be the sole alpha.
Rivals basketball recruiting director Rob Cassidy wrote in early July that it would be “exceedingly difficult” for Arkansas to land Thomas if it also landed Acuff and Aaron Torres — another college hoops expert — seemingly echoed those sentiments on his podcast.
“Arkansas fans would argue those two could play together,” Torres said on July 24. “I’m a little doubtful, so because of it, I don’t think that’s a great fit for (Thomas).”
That line of thinking led many to write off the Razorbacks, despite Thomas including them in his top seven alongside Alabama, Auburn, Kansas, Kansas State, Pittsburgh and UConn.
However, as the great Lee Corso likes to say: Not so fast, my friend.
Arkansas Basketball Still in the Mix?
With Arkansas seemingly out of the picture, UConn basketball emerged as the heavy favorite for Meleek Thomas.
Indeed, he visited Storrs, Conn., this summer and the Huskies have won back-to-back national titles, making them a pretty enticing option for heralded recruits.
However, Thomas has yet to announce his commitment and there are some rumblings that a pledge to UConn might not be imminent after all.
According to HS Top Recruits, it sounds like the Huskies were hoping to already have his commitment by now and the fact that they don’t has prompted Dan Hurley to look elsewhere. Instead, UConn appears to be going all-in on Acaden Lewis, a four-star recruit who checks in at No. 46 overall in the 247Sports Composite.
The thinking is that UConn, as the two-time defending champion, can be selective and places a lot of value on how players fit not only the system, but the culture. Hurley won’t negotiate with or beg recruits to play for him, according to Mark Zanetto of the Locked On UConn podcast.
“There’s no such thing about being halfway in with UConn,” Zanetto said in an episode of his show earlier this week. “You’re either jumping in the pool with the Huskies or we’ll pull the offer and move on. It’s really that simple.”
Of course, this could all be a ploy to pressure Thomas into committing, but if UConn truly does move on, Arkansas would presumably be firmly back into the mix.
John Calipari has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area, where Thomas is from, and has been recruiting him for a while, dating back to his time at Kentucky. The offer was officially extended in April of 2023 and Thomas even visited Lexington during the season.
No dates have been set yet, but Thomas told HS Top Recruits that he plans to visit Arkansas — as well as Alabama, Kansas and Kansas State — before making a final decision.
Meleek Thomas Scouting Report
Meleek Thomas can score with the best of the best, especially other prospects around his age. He’s got a smooth, locked-in jumpshot and a high IQ when it comes to getting to his spots and taking the best shot available to him.
Unlike a lot of high school prospects with great scoring talent, Thomas does a good job of not settling for tough shots – though he’s capable of making a few when he needs to. He doesn’t waste movements or play with his food when being guarded straight up in isolation situations.
Sure, he has a notable bag of dribble moves at his disposal, but if a quick first step or a one-dribble pull up will get him an easy look, that’s the shot he’s going to take rather than trying to dribble the air out of the ball in an attempt to embarrass his defender.
This type of understanding from a scoring perspective is rare amongst recruits of his age, and when combined with his shot-making ability from all three levels, it’s not surprise that he’s ranked in the top 10 by all major recruiting services, including No. 5 on Rivals, No. 6 on 247Sports, No. 6 on On3 and No. 7 on ESPN.
There are plenty of young prospects that can put the ball through the hoop, however. It’s the other areas of Thomas’ game that truly set him apart as a top-10 player in this class and potential star at the next level.
His high IQ that allows him to make the easy plays as a score-first guard also helps him easily identify open teammates, both in transition and in half-court offensive sets. He’s a willing and unselfish passer despite being best described as a score-first shooting guard.
He might not start with the ball in his hands as the primary facilitator at the collegiate level, but his ability to spot open teammates and deliver timely passes makes him an even more dangerous scoring threat.
The defensive side of the ball is where he takes the most pride in his game, though.
“I take pride in defense,” Thomas told the Pittsburgh Union Progress. “The more you get into the season, the harder the games become. The atmosphere becomes bigger. Everything just gets more serious, more intense. So, if I lollygag around on defense, I would be viewed as a completely different player.”
Standing at 6-foot-4, Thomas has the tools to be a great defender at the next level. He lacks the raw, explosive athleticism of previous John Calipari-taught guards such as Malik Monk or De’Aaron Fox, but he does have a certain bounce to his step on both ends of the court driven by his competitive nature and natural lateral quickness.
He has good timing on both help-side blocks and off-ball steals that can create fast break opportunities – which Thomas also thrives in. He plays with great speed while rarely losing control of the ball or his body in transition scenarios, making quick decisions that usually end with either himself or a teammate getting a quality look in the paint or an open 3-pointer.
His biggest weakness at this point in his development is one very common among high school recruits – muscle mass. Thomas has a relatively thin frame, but that has not held him back as a scorer or defender in the slightest thus far. He’ll need to continue to build upon his frame – as virtually all high school recruits need to – to become a truly impactful defender.
Thomas’ consistency as a scorer already sets him apart from most other recruits in his class. Expanding upon his game as a playmaker for others and as a lead defender will make him a dangerous weapon both at the collegiate and pro level.
Arkansas Basketball Targets in Class of 2025
With Darius Acuff already on board, John Calipari has Arkansas basketball in the mix for several other big-time prospects, including multiple top-10 and five-star recruits. Here’s a look at several of them:
- PF Caleb Wilson (No. 4 in 247Sports Composite)
- PF Koa Peat (No. 5 in 247Sports Composite)
- CG Meleek Thomas (No. 6 in 247Sports Composite)
- SG Jasper Johnson (No. 10 in 247Sports Composite)
- C Chris Cenac (No. 16 in 247Sports Composite)
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Brandon Baker contributed to this story.
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