2025 Recruiting: Meleek Thomas Electric Trigaloo

[Mike Honcho]

What's with all these SI articles quoting Zanetto like he's some kind of insider? It's strange that they're writing articles based off what he says.

What an echo chamber:

 

[HooperScooper]

For those looking for Thomas to talk about UConn again, your wish has been granted. Can't copy and paste all the stuff about UConn so click on the link for that.

"When you walk around, I mean like when I got there I was just outside of the arena and it was like you could tell it was all about basketball. You could tell it's a basketball town that they live and breathe basketball. You get that vibe. You go into the stores and it's basketball gear. Men's basketball, women's basketball and you can see they take pride so I got a basketball feel right away."

5-star guard Meleek Thomas prepares for trio of visits to Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas State

Thomas previews his upcoming visits and also talks his experience checking out UConn and head coach Dan Hurley.

247sports.com

 

[Bazz4A]

I, too, found the website hard to navigate and it doesn’t have the same engagement as this one does for now.

Yeah I basically treat it just as a donation at this point - feel like this forum is still the place to go for 95% of updates and info

 

[awy]

What an echo chamber:

Zanetto and these guys are both unreliable amplifiers so when you stack them together you get "UConn soured on meleek" from "Arkansas and Alabama have some reservations".

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Yeah I basically treat it just as a donation at this point - feel like this forum is still the place to go for 95% of updates and info

Jared has a direct line to the coaching staff and others so his info is very reliable. Good info here too but I’ll rely on the guy who seems to talk to the folks making the decisions fairly regularly. I come here for the pizza recommendations and banter.

 

[RuffRuff]

Interesting 247 piece. Danny trying to get into the noggin feels very on brand. DH is so good at the psychology of it all, all with a touch of neurosis. The cultural fit is so important to him, and he likely knows as well as anyone how one rotten apple can spoil the cart.

The recruitment of Mullins and Thomas is about as different as it gets. Mullins seems clinical and practical where Thomas tends to feel more emotional, talks about the “love”, bonding and support a lot. Most of this is in reference to the other programs, whereas DH seems more prescriptive in his approach. Sad to hear his dad may not be well.

I wonder if Thomas even knows where he wants to go at this point, can feel a hint of impulsivity in how he operates as seems to just unveil all of it in interviews. May be the kind of kid where the last visit is an advantage.

 

[RuffRuff]

 

[bendm]

We have 1 unfilled scholly, 2 seniors, and AK and Liam are going pro. So That’s 5 open schollys for next year. However, we’ve only filled 12 schollys for the last couple years so let’s say that’s 4 open schollys.

I think staff wants 3 freshmen and 1 transfer but we’d also take 4 freshmen. How can we say no to any of these remaining targets? we fill any surprise openings next summer through the portal.

 

[JerseyAlum]

We have 1 unfilled scholly, 2 seniors, and AK and Liam are going pro. So That’s 5 open schollys for next year. However, we’ve only filled 12 schollys for the last couple years so let’s say that’s 4 open schollys.

I think staff wants 3 freshmen and 1 transfer but we’d also take 4 freshmen. How can we say no to any of these remaining targets? we fill any surprise openings next summer through the portal.

Depends a lot if Stewart stays, or even become a 4 as IMHO he's nominally a 3 and we need an AK replacement. The last thing we need is another 6'7" 3 though so we are hunting for a 2, a 4, and a big to mold into a proper 5. I would think we get a 4 in the portal, and then get our 2 in Adams (kinda CG, but mainly a 2), a 5 in a frosh, and who knows if we can land Thomas but now 3 days from Adam's reveal.

 

[JerseyAlum]

Zanetto and these guys are both unreliable amplifiers so when you stack them together you get "UConn soured on meleek" from "Arkansas and Alabama have some reservations".

I think Zanetto gathers information and reports it; he isn't someone who makes up "facts" and if he has a source, he might say who, but at least says he has one he trusts (or not). But this is just noise. Meleek will wait until mid-late October to commit and Adams might already be signed by then.

 

[navery12]

Depends a lot if Stewart stays, or even become a 4 as IMHO he's nominally a 3 and we need an AK replacement. The last thing we need is another 6'7" 3 though so we are hunting for a 2, a 4, and a big to mold into a proper 5. I would think we get a 4 in the portal, and then get our 2 in Adams (kinda CG, but mainly a 2), a 5 in a frosh, and who knows if we can land Thomas but now 3 days from Adam's reveal.

Stewart is absolutely a 4. He played the 4 last year at times, he will play the 4 this year at times, and if he's back next year it'll be as the starting 4

 

[upstater]

Anyone who has a kid who's gone through the college application process can sympathize with someone trying to assess all the variables. Especially if you're of a certain age, like my friends and I, who just chose colleges for entirely superficial reasons. Nowadays, there's so much wavering because a lot of these kids have done the research and they have some real dilemmas to work through.

 

[boog204]

What kind of sucks is that Thomas taking his time is probably going to cost him a spot here. I can't blame him for wanting to take all his visits and assess option$, but he's one of several targets for what I think are two spots and I think three of those guys will be off the board in the next two weeks.

 

[alphasigko]

A Stephon Castle who wanted to go nowhere else, Meleek not be. Stephon obviously reaped the benefits of his early commitment.

 

[bendm]

Stewart is absolutely a 4. He played the 4 last year at times, he will play the 4 this year at times, and if he's back next year it'll be as the starting 4

i completely agree stew can play the 4 but depending on what frosh we get he could be our starting 3 next year:

Mahaney / Nowell
Ball / Adams*
Stew / Ross
Bundalo* / Abraham
Reibe* / Reed

im hoping this is next year's depth chart at this point plus singare and a transfer depth piece at G

 

[navery12]

i completely agree stew can play the 4 but depending on what frosh we get he could be our starting 3 next year:

Mahaney / Nowell
Ball / Adams*
Stew / Ross
Bundalo* / Abraham
Reibe* / Reed

im hoping this is next year's depth chart at this point plus singare and a transfer depth piece at G

In that super specific scenario you laid out yeah he'd probably start at the 3. Although even then I'd expect him at the 4 and Bundalo off the bench, the learning curve for freshman big men is steep. And 1 guard and 2 big men seems like a very unlikely recruiting class right now

 

[bendm]

In that super specific scenario you laid out yeah he'd probably start at the 3. Although even then I'd expect him at the 4 and Bundalo off the bench, the learning curve for freshman big men is steep. And 1 guard and 2 big men seems like a very unlikely recruiting class right now

do stretch 4s count as classic "bigs" that take awhile to acclimate? i view him more like AK whereas reibe fits into the category w/ sanogo and clingan.

anyways, i thought the latest was we led for adams, bundalo and even reibe. mullins/thomas were tossups and lewis prob out.

 

[navery12]

do stretch 4s count as classic "bigs" that take awhile to acclimate? i view him more like AK whereas reibe fits into the category w/ sanogo and clingan.

anyways, i thought the latest was we led for adams, bundalo and even reibe. mullins/thomas were tossups and lewis prob out.

I would expect him, like most freshman, to take time. Karaban was a super rare case of a guy being ready to start for a championship caliber program on day 1.

There's guys like Momcilovic at Iowa State who can come in and start from day 1. But the more likely scenario are all the other guys who were ranked around him like TJ Power, Omaha Biliew, Berke Buyuktuncel who were inconsistent most of their freshman years

 

[RuffRuff]

Meleek was scheduled to be at this one with AJ and Burries, but not seeing him. His recruitment has just gotten weird. You’re not winning points with Danny by ditching his buddy Nate late stage last minute. Makes me wonder if he just goes the Ron Holland route.

 

[TheHorde]

Meleek was scheduled to be at this one with AJ and Burries, but not seeing him.

Alabama is a football school, and basketball players will never be the biggest men on campus. Pass it on.

 

[imno1]

Alabama is a football school, and basketball players will never be the biggest men on campus. Pass it on.

Oats is a very good coach and great recruiter. Pass it on

 

[auror]

Meleek was scheduled to be at this one with AJ and Burries, but not seeing him. His recruitment has just gotten weird. You’re not winning points with Danny by ditching his buddy Nate late stage last minute. Makes me wonder if he just goes the Ron Holland route.

He's at the Wooten Camp I think,

 

[TheHorde]

Oats is a very good coach and great recruiter. Pass it on

Both are true at the same time. Doesn’t invalidate what I said one iota.

 

[RuffRuff]

Yet its schools in

He's at the Wooten Camp I think,

Yup - does the kid need a personal assistant? He seems to have a rep for being a mess holding to visits, and then this.

I’d have to think you skip a visit to a massive football game with other top kids, you’re ruling them out. He’s got Arkansas this weekend, has already rescheduled that visit.

No idea where this kids head is at.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Seems like he's figuring out whether he wants to try to be a news breaker or a crap stirrer.

Or, as runner11 pointed out, he was just drunk.

I was turned off by Locked On from its outset because its content mismatched or fell consistently short of its headlines. I ignored YouTube suggestions to watch and figured that over time I'd get enough from Boneyarders to confirm my impression or motivate me to reconsider a hastily-formed antipathy.

Even here, I'm disinclined to look more closely than to think I'm not missing anything I won't find elsewhere in a better presentation.

I recollect that his initial sponsor was Nissan, and that suggested that his efforts were part of a coordinated branding effort to build a network with some sense of gravitas arising from big money. Unless I've read him wrong, it's not for me.