2025 Recruiting: - Meleek Thomas to UConn Crystal Ball | Page 12 | The Boneyard

2025 Recruiting: Meleek Thomas to UConn Crystal Ball

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NJHusky said:
Really??? The one thing that everyone said is his weakest skill you want to display more of?
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UConn showcased his strengths and clearly showed progress developing his outside shot(s). Didn't highlight his weakness with "bombs away"
 
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M.S.G. said:
Minor criticism, he dribbles waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much.

Easily fixable, but that's my observation.
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I think in truth there is noone to pass to. There is only 1 other scorer on the team and Preston Fowler can spot up open 3's. It was very much like our offensive scheme when we gave the ball to Bouknight with 8 sec left and let him figure it out.
 
husky99 said:
Can the kid dunk? (Lol) only once in the video which is great. Most of these videos are a dunkfest which shows athleticism at most
Really focused on his out shot and dribbling. Absolutely want this kid at uconn
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He's not huge. 6'3" barefoot and 6'5" wingspan. Body type and athleticism reminds me of Hawkins minus an inch or so.
 
unironically dunks at the youth level is kind of good metric for future projection. meleek's physical progression or lack thereof was what held him back a bit but he's been productive, and OTE is good at developing the physical part of a player. i'd expect some athleticism development
 
Iluvsuebird said:
I submit to you that he would have flourished anywhere. He wouldn't have been a champion anywhere, but in terms of selling himself to the NBA, dude he could have gone anywhere and be a lottery pick.
As a father of more than one child, I find myself constantly giving my children different advise...because all kids are not the same. What works for one, may not work for the other.
And because you got me going, allow me to say that if he had chosen to go to a college program that allowed him to shoot more, he may have been the #1 pick this year. Wouldn't that have been the smarter path to the NBA?
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In general I kinda agree with you. If he went anywhere that allowed him to run the show the NBA would’ve been salivating at a 6’6 do it all PG with the IQ he has. Especially in a draft like this.

Not necessarily a team that lets him shoot more. But just a team that lets him show his ability to run a team and how he can make guys around him better.

But alas he can say he’s a champion and still be good enough to force his way back into his normal position going here. Because the kid was THAT great.
 
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HuskyWarrior611 said:
In general I kinda agree with you. If he went anywhere that allowed him to run the show the NBA would’ve been salivating at a 6’6 do it all PG with the IQ he has. Especially in a draft like this.

Not necessarily a team that lets him shoot more. But just a team that lets him show his ability to run a team and how he can make guys around him better.

But alas he can say he’s a champion and still be good enough to force his way back into his normal position going here. Because the kid was THAT great.
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There’s also the chance he doesn’t necessarily stand out or answer questions about his game on an average team.

Then he goes like 12-15 based on athleticism, AND he enters the NBA without as much coaching and fine tuning.

You just never know.
 
Ricker said:
I think in truth there is noone to pass to. There is only 1 other scorer on the team and Preston Fowler can spot up open 3's. It was very much like our offensive scheme when we gave the ball to Bouknight with 8 sec left and let him figure it out.
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First thing that stood out to me is the over dribbling - a bit head down only looking at rim. As someone said, fixable.
 
Mr. French said:
There’s also the chance he doesn’t necessarily stand out or answer questions about his game on an average team.

Then he goes like 12-15 based on athleticism, AND he enters the NBA without as much coaching and fine tuning.

You just never know.
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Just seeing how easily he acclimated himself back to the position in SL I can’t see that.

The kid didn’t play the position all year and picked it back up effortlessly to where one of the best coaches in NBA history gushed about him. I’m not sure the questions about his game he would’ve had to answer outside of shooting. He would’ve killed it as a PG wherever he went. Just don’t know how much he would’ve won.

Even Cade Cunningham (one of my comps for Castle) didn’t get to the sweet 16 I think and he was elite.
 
Looks like Meleek can get his shot when and if he wants it. Have not studied his AAU team makeup in these summer videos but it looks to me like he's got to have the ball in his hands so that he can get his shots. In other words- His teammates either don't possess the BBIQ that he has and/or don't have great PG play to deliver him the ball in his spots. At UConn with our offensive sets and excellent ball handlers/team BBIQ-- Meleek can concentrate on scoring and sharing the ball within the context of game flow and excellent talent on the floor. In the open floor-fast breaks-He's almost unstoppable. At the end of a shot clock-He can get his shot.
 
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HuskyWarrior611 said:
Just seeing how easily he acclimated himself back to the position in SL I can’t see that.

The kid didn’t play the position all year and picked it back up effortlessly to where one of the best coaches in NBA history gushed about him. I’m not sure the questions about his game he would’ve had to answer outside of shooting. He would’ve killed it as a PG wherever he went. Just don’t know how much he would’ve won.

Even Cade Cunningham (one of my comps for Castle) didn’t get to the sweet 16 I think and he was elite.
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UConn seeks to play positionless basketball where everyone can initiate and distribute. Castle surely was coached to do both. In that sense, he did play point guard with UConn and he did develop and demonstrate point guard skills. Hurley did a great job preparing him for the pros.

I don't see any evidence that some other school would have prepared him better. If "being handed the ball and asked to create" was enough to get a guy to the NBA, the list of 5*s who never made it would be a lot shorter.
 
pj said:
UConn seeks to play positionless basketball where everyone can initiate and distribute. Castle surely was coached to do both. In that sense, he did play point guard with UConn and he did develop and demonstrate point guard skills. Hurley did a great job preparing him for the pros.

I don't see any evidence that some other school would have prepared him better. If "being handed the ball and asked to create" was enough to get a guy to the NBA, the list of 5*s who never made it would be a lot shorter.
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That's kinda what I'm getting at - thank you.

It's easy for everyone to say "look at Castle's talent, he would have killed it as the primary threat elsewhere" but in reality it's not that simple.
 
pj said:
UConn seeks to play positionless basketball where everyone can initiate and distribute. Castle surely was coached to do both. In that sense, he did play point guard with UConn and he did develop and demonstrate point guard skills. Hurley did a great job preparing him for the pros.
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No he didn’t. It’s why NBA teams wondered if he could do it and why he himself said he was held back from showcasing that.

Hell, people on this very board wondered why he was so adamant about only playing PG in the NBA because he didn’t get a chance to demonstrate how great he was there.
 
the nba isn't all the same. but the teams who are at the forefront of reinventing the game and leading the direction of the league going forward sure are paying attention to what UConn is doing.
 
HuskyWarrior611 said:
No he didn’t. It’s why NBA teams wondered if he could do it and why he himself said he was held back from showcasing that.

Hell, people on this very board wondered why he was so adamant about only playing PG in the NBA because he didn’t get a chance to demonstrate how great he was there.
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Castle played plenty of PG at UConn last year. Anyone not trying to kill Dan Hurley at every possible moment could see that
 
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HuskyWarrior611 said:
No he didn’t. It’s why NBA teams wondered if he could do it and why he himself said he was held back from showcasing that.

Hell, people on this very board wondered why he was so adamant about only playing PG in the NBA because he didn’t get a chance to demonstrate how great he was there.
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"It’s why NBA teams wondered if he could do it" -- NBA teams are always going to wonder. If you didn't do it they wonder if you can; if you did it in college they wonder if you'll be able to do it in the pros. And there are a myriad of game aspects they can wonder about.

The fact is that Hurley and Castle together assuaged more NBA concerns about Castle in one year than I can remember any other player achieving in such a short time. They proved he can defend, they proved he can be a good teammate, they proved his willingness to sacrifice for winning and to be a winner, they proved he could play point. About they only thing they didn't prove was the ability to shoot 3's at a high percentage, but that is something difficult to develop in one year of college.
 
navery12 said:
Castle played plenty of PG at UConn last year. Anyone not trying to kill Dan Hurley at every possible moment could see that
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I don’t know why we have to lie like this.

NBA scouts heading into the draft do not agree with this statement.

ESPN big board:

6. Stephon Castle | PG/SG | UConn​

6-7 | Age: 19.5 | Previously ranked: 6

It has been difficult for NBA teams to schedule Castle on the workout circuit, so it remains to be seen exactly where that will land him on draft night. Teams on his trail will be closely monitoring whether he decides to open up his availability in the coming weeks. He has been most strongly connected to San Antonio, but if the Spurs go a different direction with their two first-round picks, there will be suitors elsewhere in the top 10, with a potentially strong fit in the Utah Jazz.
There's quite a bit of interest in Castle's versatility, perimeter defense and playmaking potential long-term. There are also some questions about the state of his jump shot, and to a lesser extent, whether he can play point guard in a full-time capacity. His role in UConn's title run has certainly helped bolster his draft stock to this point. -- Woo


www.nytimes.com

NBA mock draft: Who's going No. 1? Why it's still unclear less than a week out

With less than one week until the 2024 NBA Draft, a lot remains unsettled, starting with the No. 1 pick. Has a new contender emerged?
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Vecenie’s report:

6. Charlotte Hornets​

Stephon Castle | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Connecticut​

The Hornets’ pick is seen as another inflection point, as teams around the league are unclear on the direction new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson will take. Peterson was an assistant GM in Brooklyn and Atlanta, and his teams made varied picks during his time there.

Instead, I have the Hornets drafting Castle to be a strong fit between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. My latest intel indicates Castle is likely to come off of the board somewhere between the No. 4 and No. 8 picks. He’s a tremendous defender with size and attributes that help teams win games. He got publicity at the NBA combine for saying he views himself as a point guard, but NBA teams largely classify him as a secondary playmaker who could grow into more on-ball reps in time.
 
that situation was partly driven by different information access because Steph's camp wanted to guide him to spurs. spurs seem to view him as a point guard and that was enough for him.
 
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