By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — It’s clear that UConn has made a major impression with five-star guard Meleek Thomas by bringing him to Storrs for an official visit in the first place. But after his visit, the Huskies may be in an even better position to land 2025’s No. 6 overall prospect.
“It was a very good visit,” Thomas told ZAGSBLOG. “They back-to-back champs so you really can’t not look into it or not want to go. So I got there, everything was good. They showed a lot of hospitality. Like I got the family vibe right when I got there. So they showed love, showed me around, showed me everything.”
Thomas continued:
“They showed me what everything is going to be like if I were to potentially go there. And just trying to put me in a position — putting me into a position where I see myself being there without me being there — if you get that. So yeah I rocked with it. I rocked with the family vibe. I rock with the winning. I win a lot. So I rocked with the winning mentality that they brought onto me. I just felt good when I was there.”
As for back-to-back national champion head coach Dan Hurley’s message?
“Excuse my language, but he said ‘I’m badass, but you’re badass too. So come to this school. Without us forcing you, we see you here and I rock with your personality. I see myself in you. I see like — I can understand your passion for the game basically. So I would love that type of player at my school.’
Hurley recently turned down a six-year, $70 million deal to coach LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, Hurley signed a six-year, $50 million extension with the Huskies and will go for a three-peat at UConn. According to Thomas, this bodes well for UConn’s pursuit.
“It’s big,” Thomas said of the extension. “His message to me was kind of like, ‘I could have took that job, but I love what I do so much and I feel like I’m not finished here yet.’ Like I said, he would love for me to come play for him. And that’s kind of the feeling I got the whole time I was there.”
Thomas has another UConn connection in Stephon Castle — who won a national championship with the Huskies as a freshman last season and was recently drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 4 overall pick.
“That’s my guy,” Thomas said. “Before he even went there I was connected to Steph. We were at camps with each other and we bonded off the court. I was at Team USA with him, so that’s my guy. To see him go there and to see him have the success that he had while he was there, it’s kind of a confidence booster with a school. You can envision yourself at a school more when you know somebody that went there that you had connections with.”
While UConn remains in great position after the official visit, Thomas is still being recruited hard by the likes of Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Kansas and Miami, among other schools. All of these school’s head coaches — including Hurley — were in to watch Thomas’ first game with New Heights Lightning at Peach Jam. Thomas dropped a game-high 25 points in a 70-56 win over Houston Hoops on Saturday.
The five-star guard does plan on taking some more official visits coming up. Thomas canceled an official visit to Arkansas scheduled in June but will reschedule it for September. He would also like to see Kansas and Alabama coming up. “As of right now I think that’s it, potentially Miami,” Thomas said. “I don’t have any dates for them I just know I want to take those.” Here is a quick breakdown of Kansas and Alabama from Thomas: Kansas: “They have a winning background. They bring straight winners there. They get their players to the league. They have a lot of TV games. The environment of the crowd, which I’ve seen, and how they let their guards rock, it could be a spot for me for sure.” Alabama: “It’s a guard heavy school. They let their guards rock obviously. A lot of people know they don’t let their guards take a lot of mid-ranges. But they let their guards hoop. They work through their bigs. They work through their guards. And they get to it. So I want to go to a school where I can be comfortable and get to it.” Thomas will also be setting a top five or eight schools list after Peach Jam. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookSeveral coaches in to watch @NH_Lightning vs. @HoustonHoops17U.
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) July 13, 2024
Head coaches include: Bill Self, Grant McCasland, Jeff Capel, Rick Barnes, Nate Oats, Tony Bennett, Kevin Willard, Ben Johnson.
Assistants from Texas A&M, Houston, Arkansas, Penn State, Kansas State, Wake Forest,… pic.twitter.com/uF8sgHXkeV
