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Five-star prospect Meleek Thomas committed Monday to Arkansas, giving coach John Calipari and the Razorbacks their second top-10 recruit in the 2025 class.

Arkansas is now the only program in the country with multiple top-10 commits already in the fold, with Thomas, No. 9 in the ESPN 100 and the No. 2 shooting guard, joining Darius Acuff (No. 8/No.1 point guard).

Thomas chose the Razorbacks over hometown Pittsburgh, while UConn also had previously recruited Thomas and was on his final list.

"Everyone I spoke with was so positive on Coach Cal," Thomas told ESPN. "He has touched so many lives with his guys becoming NBA players and so many others. He and the staff stayed in contact with both me and my family the whole time. I am big on family, and Coach Cal is a warm-hearted person who built a great relationship with both me and my family."

Arkansas made a strong push down the stretch of Thomas' recruitment to become the clear leader, with the Razorbacks' new system a key aspect in his decision.

"Their play style was a separating factor," Thomas said. "Coach Cal holds himself accountable and his players accountable. I am the type that wants to know the truth so I can learn and grow. They will have a lot of guys who can score, and I am comfortable coming in and playing defense right away.

"The crowds and energy for the program is exciting, and I want to be part of it."

Thomas is a 6-foot-4 guard from Pittsburgh who is currently playing in the Overtime Elite program. He was one of the top scorers on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring, ranking ninth with 20.3 points per game. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists, shooting just under 34% from 3-point range. In six games with the New Heights Lightning at the Nike Peach Jam in July, he averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting better than 37% from 3.

Thomas has a scorer's mentality but also is capable of coming up with timely assists. He has a thin frame with decent quickness and speed, and is especially effective in transition, either leading the break or finishing the play. He is aggressive but confident with the ball in his hands, not rushing to get to his spot on the floor. Thomas can play both guard positions and has made strides operating in ball-screen situations.

Arkansas now has two of the elite guards in the 2025 class, with Thomas joining forces with Acuff in Fayetteville. Acuff, the top-ranked point guard in the country, committed to the Razorbacks in July. The two of them are enough to put Arkansas near the top of the 2025 recruiting class rankings -- but the Razorbacks also are making a strong push for No. 5-ranked prospect Caleb Wilson.

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Posted by RazorHawg

Member since Aug 2013

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Posted on 11/12/24 at 2:40 pm to RazorHawg

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Meleek Thomas, the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2025 class, has committed to John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks, sources tell 247Sports.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound shooting guard out of Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite committed to Arkansas over schools including UConn and hometown Pittsburgh.

Throughout his recruitment, Thomas also considered schools like Kansas, Kansas State, Alabama, and Auburn.

"When I was making my college decision, I wanted to make sure that everything was a fit from play style and how they will use me on the team but also that it felt like home to me and my family," said Thomas in a release. "Family is so important to me - and with Coach Cal and the team at Arkansas, I felt at home. I am going to spend my senior season at OTE, just developing and continuing to be the best player I can so I can make an impact in Fayetteville right away."

Dating back to this summer, Arkansas was not considered to be the favorite in Thomas' recruitment. But as he took more visits and as more prospects committed, Calipari and the Razorbacks were able to come from behind and pull out the recruiting victory.

Thomas ranks as the top shooting guard in the country and he is pairing up with the nation's top point guard, Darius Acuff Jr., who committed to Arkansas in July.

Thomas is one of the top scorers in the 2025 class. He has a natural ability to put the ball in the hole.

Playing with the New Heights Lightning this past spring and summer, Thomas was one of the top scorers in the league. In 14 games on the prestigious circuit, Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game while shooting 33.8% from three and 43.2% from the field.

He's a very confident and aggressive scorer who can create off the dribble, drill shots from three off the catch and pull, and has shown improvement in his ability to make plays for others over the last six months.

There will be very few - if any - other backcourts in the SEC next year with the scoring prowess that Acuff Jr. and Thomas will bring to Fayetteville.

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First-year Arkansas head coach John Calipari has landed his second five-star recruit of the 2025 high school recruiting class, as shooting guard Meleek Thomas announced his pledge to the Razorbacks on Monday.

Thomas was on Arkansas' campus the weekend of Oct. 5 with fellow five-star guard commit Darius Acuff Jr., and both were able to take in the football team's field-storming win over No. 4 Tennessee.

Prior to his commitment decision, Thomas discussed what he was looking for in a school and Arkansas clearly fit most of his criteria.

"The biggest factor in my decision, it will probably be how hard the coach is going to coach me," Thomas said in an interview with Overtime. The play style, I want to do everything that translates to the next level. So, with me in the right positions, coming off the right sets and the right reads, the right actions."

"I'm very family oriented. How are they going to take care of my family? My people got my back forever. I want to play alongside the best as well. Just so I'm getting that competition level, everyday it's battles, everday we got the same mindset."

A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native, Thomas has been a priority target of Calipari's for a while, as the Head Hog offered Thomas while he was at Kentucky in April 2023. Calipari didn't relent in his pursuit of Thomas after moving to Fayetteville, and it paid off in a big way.

In addition to Arkansas, Thomas was courted by UConn, Alabama and Pittsburgh, as well as Kansas State, which was a late addition to his recruitment. He had scheduled a visit to Manhattan for the weekend of Oct. 26, but that was later canceled.

Over the summer, UConn was thought to be the leader for Thomas' commitment, but Dan Hurley's program added five-star Darius Adams, which only helped Arkansas' chances, and Calipari won out for the nation's No. 7-ranked player.

Thomas played for Lincoln Peforming Arts High School as a junior but left in June to sign with Overtime Elite, a developmental league that pits the best players in the nation against each other in Atlanta, Georgia.

Playing with the Overtime City Reapers, Thomas averaged 25.3 points, 3,0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals across three preseason games. He shot 10-of-19 from three (52.6%) and turned the ball over 10 times.

In two regular-season matchups, Thomas has scored 18 and 32 points, respectively, and secured 12 rebounds in both games. The prolific scorer has maintained a high shooting mark from distance (47.1%) and has racked up six total assists. Thomas did miss two recent contests due to an undisclosed injury, however.