A priority target for John Calipari and Arkansas basketball in the 2025 recruiting class is on the move. Meleek Thomas, a 5-star prospect and the No. 6 overall composite player in the cycle, will spend his final year of high school basketball with Overtime Elite (OTE), he announced on Tuesday.
Previously, 6-4, 175-pound guard was playing for Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in his hometown of Midland, PA near Pittsburgh. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Thomas is making the move in order to focus more on basketball and his college recruitment.
“I did everything I needed to do where I’m from,” Thomas told ESPN. “We won back-to-back state championships. Now it’s time to be seen by NBA personnel, GMs, scouts, the people that you need to be in front of. At OTE they get your name out. Everything they do goes around the world. I want to be broadcasted more.”
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Should Arkansas land Thomas, he’d become the second player to choose the Hogs after time at Overtime Elite. The first being current Razorback freshman forward Karter Knox, who committed and signed with Arkansas back in April.
Last week, Thomas announced official visit dates to both UConn and Arkansas later this month. The Pennsylvania native is set to visit Coach Calipari and the Razorbacks on June 25-27. He already completed a visit with Calipari while the Hall of Fame coach was at Kentucky, but this will be the first visit to Fayetteville for the talented young guard.
Thomas has been a major priority target for Calipari, going back to his time in Lexington, and that interest level hasn’t changed with the coach’s move to Arkansas. Thomas officially reported the Razorbacks offered him a scholarship back on April 19 and has been in regular contact with the coaching staff since.
Calipari and Arkansas are serious contenders in the recruitment of Thomas, and the official visit date only confirms that. The Razorbacks are battling Auburn, Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Miami and a host of others. He’s also taken unofficial visits to Pittsburgh, Penn State and Villanova.
