Meleek Thomas (born August 6, 2006) is an American basketball player who plays for the City Reapers of Overtime Elite.
Early life and high school
Thomas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to Charlotte, North Carolina when he was ten before moving back to Pittsburgh four years later.[1] Thomas initially attended Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.[2] He averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.3 steals per game during his junior season as Lincoln Park won its second straight PIAA state championship.[3] Thomas scored 1,750 points in three years at Lincoln Park.[4]
After his junior year, Thomas opted to leave Lincoln Park to join the Overtime Elite league as a non-professional player for team City Reapers in order to preserve his collegiate eligibility.[5]
Thomas is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 class, according to major recruiting services.[6][7] He committed to play college basketball at Arkansas over offers from Pittsburgh and UConn.[8]
Personal life
Thomas's older brother, Shawndale Jones, played college basketball at NJIT and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.[9]
References
- ^ "Boys basketball co-Players of the Year: Meleek Thomas and Brandin Cummings were a potent 1-2 punch". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 9, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ "'Meant to be there': Lincoln Park's Meleek Thomas motivated after USA Basketball minicamp". The Beaver County Times. April 8, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Harlan, Chris (April 1, 2024). "Lincoln Park's Brandin Cummings, Meleek Thomas named 2024 TribLive HSSN Boys Basketball Players of the Year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ "Basketball star Meleek Thomas leaves Lincoln Park for Overtime Elite league in Atlanta". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 11, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (June 11, 2024). "ESPN No. 7 prospect Meleek Thomas goes to Overtime Elite". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ "Lincoln Park's Meleek Thomas ranked No. 11 in ESPN's Class of 2025 recruiting rankings". The Beaver County Times. April 22, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (September 13, 2024). "Arkansas target Thomas a 5-star for good reason". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (November 11, 2024). "Meleek Thomas gives Arkansas second top-10 recruit for 2025". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ^ Marks, Brendan (August 7, 2024). "What it's like to be a top-10 basketball recruit: Gucci, autographs and expectations". The Athletic. Retrieved October 16, 2024.