2025 Recruiting: - UConn Offers Meleek Thomas | The Boneyard

2025 Recruiting: UConn Offers Meleek Thomas

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I was just near EYBL in Cartersville GA. Man that facility is amazing. My buddy (UConn's) son is in a baseball tourney. I should have went in for hoops!
 
Huskyforlife said:
I guess I don’t blame Dan for trying. But I wonder how many tries it’ll take before we land a top 10 prospect at the time of his commitment (Castle does not count). Gotta give him credit for not being discouraged.
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He hasn’t gone after these guys armed with a Natty. Also we seem to be in good with Betsy whose a top guy. We land one
 
HooperScooper said:

4. Five-star SG Meleek Thomas – NH LIghtning 17u​

Meleek Thomas plays with a certain amount of electricity that is both exciting and productive. He is a very good point-of-attack defender, using his quick feet and hands to disrupt the point of attack. But he is also a fearless scorer.


He is No. 3 in the 2025 On3 75. Danny Hurley from UConn was courtside. So were assistants from Kentucky and North Carolina.

www.on3.com

Nike EYBL Session 1 top performers: Day 1

April 22, 2023 - On3's Jamie Shaw was baseline for Session 1 of the 2023 Nike EYBL Circuit. Here were the day's top performers.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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When decision time arrives I hope this kid remembers that a weeks after winning the title our head coach was there while Kentucky & UNC sent assistants.
 
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I see Pitt's in on him. They're desperate to get some homegrown kids. Right now Pitt doesn't have much of an NIL game, so it'll be interesting to see how/if they can compete for this kid.
 
FfldCntyFan said:
When decision time arrives I hope this kid remembers that a weeks after winning the title our head coach was there while Kentucky & UNC sent assistants.
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3:57 p.m. ET: Kentucky head coach John Calipari, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke assistant Jai Lucas are watching 2025 five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas and 2025 four-star power forward Caleb Wilson. — Jamie Shaw, National Basketball Recruiting Analyst

www.on3.com

EYBL Session 1 Coaches Watch Live Blog

Some of the nation's top recruits are at EYBL Session 1 in Atlanta where dozens of college coaches will be scouting their targets.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
 
HooperScooper said:
3:57 p.m. ET: Kentucky head coach John Calipari, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke assistant Jai Lucas are watching 2025 five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas and 2025 four-star power forward Caleb Wilson. — Jamie Shaw, National Basketball Recruiting Analyst

www.on3.com

EYBL Session 1 Coaches Watch Live Blog

Some of the nation's top recruits are at EYBL Session 1 in Atlanta where dozens of college coaches will be scouting their targets.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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Scheyer<Coach K and it’s not in the same stratosphere
 
Huskyforlife said:
I guess I don’t blame Dan for trying. But I wonder how many tries it’ll take before we land a top 10 prospect at the time of his commitment (Castle does not count). Gotta give him credit for not being discouraged.
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We aren't offering this kid or any other top-5 player because we think there's a great chance of landing them. It's as much about building relationships with programs than it is about landing the top-5 player.

For example, Diakite a 4* power forward that plays in CT also is on the NH Lightning team. We aren't wasting resources by offering this kid, because we can also have coaches watch a more realistic prospect for us.
 
I said this in another thread. Hurley recruits like Calhoun did. He recognizes the need to support his system and recruits to it. Doesn’t pay attention to rankings by irrelevant services.
We had the most complete team in the NCAA last year.
Let the squid be lazy and recruit to rankings. Getting them far huh.
 
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HooperScooper said:
3:57 p.m. ET: Kentucky head coach John Calipari, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke assistant Jai Lucas are watching 2025 five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas and 2025 four-star power forward Caleb Wilson. — Jamie Shaw, National Basketball Recruiting Analyst

www.on3.com

EYBL Session 1 Coaches Watch Live Blog

Some of the nation's top recruits are at EYBL Session 1 in Atlanta where dozens of college coaches will be scouting their targets.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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Took them long enough to give the kid a little attention.

Too little, too late.....
 
gtcam said:
his 2022-23 recruiting class was very impressive
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And they did what with that in the postseason and even the regular season? Give me all the 4 star type players that want to stay 2-3 years, win, and then go pro after leaving a legacy. UK and Dook can have all of the one and dones they want and not survive the first weekend of the tournament. Good trade I think.
 
TheHorde said:
And they did what with that in the postseason and even the regular season? Give me all the 4 star type players that want to stay 2-3 years, win, and then go pro after leaving a legacy. UK and Dook can have all of the one and dones they want and not survive the first weekend of the tournament. Good trade I think.
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I agree with this. Now sure, if Dan Hurley thinks a 5 star is the right guy after seeing our practice, and meeting the team, then absolutely, we'd be nuts to turn him away.

But we've had the best 25 years of any program by bringing in guys ranked between 30-150, having them for 2-3 years, and sending them on to the NBA. Obviously now we will mix in transfers that fit as well. Our preseason rankings won't be as high, but that didn't seem to matter this past year.

Dan Hurley and staff have shown they know what they're doing. If they think a guy is the right guy, no matter the ranking, 2 or 200, then he's likely the right guy. There will surely be mistakes, and guys who don't work out for one reason or another, but all we're trying to do is make sure we have 7-8 every year that get the job done.
 
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I think some here are selling Hurley short when it comes to recruiting. He's shown that his intent has been to improve the level of talent, and he's achieved it. Two years ago we were fielding a lineup of mostly Mid-Major talent. Now we have a Top 5 class coming in and he's trying to go up another rung on the ladder by pitching top recruits. And I expect he going to start landing them.
 
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TheHorde said:
Hurley is like Calhoun in that he can identify rising talent early, and then have them get better still at UConn. Jayden Ross is one of the latest examples.
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He has been great at identifying and coaching up wing talent and post talent from high school. PG has been another story so far, though Castle does seem to be the one to buck the trend.



PG:
Brendan Adams #175 - Transferred down but did graduate from UConn
Jalen Gaffney #105 - Transferred down but did play in a final four for new team
Rasool Diggins #59 - Transferred down

It's been his biggest flaw in recruiting so far.
 
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REB1094 said:
Any idea if we offered just to offer or if there’s genuine interest? Or too early to tell?
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What does "offer just to offer" even mean? I mean, I get that the staff's level of interest can be on a scale, but I would hope that the bottom end of that scale is higher than just "throwing out an offer just because it's possible to."
 
caw said:
He has been great at identifying and coaching up wing talent and post talent from high school. PG has been another story so far, though Castle does seem to be the one to buck the trend.
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Bouknight?
 
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Give Hurley and the staff credit for pivoting when necessary. The identity they look for in a player is toughness, defense, and athleticism. But they realized the team ceiling is lower without shooting. Clingan is huge because he can make up for any potential defensive shortcomings with guys either taking chances on a steal or being beaten off the dribble.
 
dogpause said:
I think some here are selling Hurley short when it comes to recruiting. He's shown that his intent has been to improve the level of talent, and he's achieved it. Two years ago we were fielding a lineup of mostly Mid-Major talent. Now we have a Top 5 class coming in and he's trying to go up another rung on the ladder by pitching top recruits. And I expect he going to start landing them.
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LOL. Two of the players the Boneyard labeled mid-major talent helped other teams make Final Fours. You may need to think about what you mean by the term. What is true is more of our players are capable of significant NBA careers, but don’t confuse players who are not capable of that with mid-major players.
 
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TheHorde said:
And they did what with that in the postseason and even the regular season? Give me all the 4 star type players that want to stay 2-3 years, win, and then go pro after leaving a legacy. UK and Dook can have all of the one and dones they want and not survive the first weekend of the tournament. Good trade I think.
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Exactly. 5 stars are like milk about to expire. You got a short time to enjoy them. Any 4 stars let’s say adama Dre and Jordan leave as 5s.
 
I don’t think anyone has any doubt in Dan Hurley and the staff’s abilities to recruit these kids. But if you’re not concerned over losing a portal kid who seemingly wanted to come here but took the bag, then you’re not paying attention. These top 25-30 kids are going to get significant life changing offers out staff more than likely won’t be able to match. Glad we got a great class last year because it’s going to get tougher, and in the portal as well. Game is changing as we speak.

No doubt finding the hidden gems, 3-4 year players will be of the utmost importance now.
 
I think making the league and getting NBA dollars is life changing. Getting $250K in NIL is not life changing imo. And if you go to a “blue blood” with 10 other 5 star McDonald’s All American types, chances are half of those players won’t shine enough to make the league. Just saying.
 
ibleedhuskyblue said:
I agree with this. Now sure, if Dan Hurley thinks a 5 star is the right guy after seeing our practice, and meeting the team, then absolutely, we'd be nuts to turn him away.

But we've had the best 25 years of any program by bringing in guys ranked between 30-150, having them for 2-3 years, and sending them on to the NBA. Obviously now we will mix in transfers that fit as well. Our preseason rankings won't be as high, but that didn't seem to matter this past year.

Dan Hurley and staff have shown they know what they're doing. If they think a guy is the right guy, no matter the ranking, 2 or 200, then he's likely the right guy. There will surely be mistakes, and guys who don't work out for one reason or another, but all we're trying to do is make sure we have 7-8 every year that get the job done.
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I think 30-100 will continue to be our sweet spot. Recruiting good kids, developing their skill set and winning national championships seems to be a winning formula. The only missing piece may be NIL which could keep us from getting a lot of 1-30 talent. But we’ll get a few of these guys due to our pedigree. My favorite continues to be Tyrese Martin who I believe was a 200+ recruit coming into URI, followed his coach to UConn and developed into an NBA talent. Absolutely great story.
 
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