John Calipari, Jerome Tang among the coaches who've been in to see Meleek Thomas this season
Basketball season is in full effect. Typically, the recruiting process for high school recruits begins to slow a bit during this time. This is because of the hectic schedule from both parties (players and coaches) — multiple games a week, leading to it being more difficult to find time during the midst of the season.
However, several head coaches and assistants in college basketball make it their mission to visit their top recruits. This helps further build a relationship, continues the scouting process, and shows the player that they are a priority for that school.
I’ve decided to do a mini series in which I ask several of the nation’s top 2025 prospects which coaches have been in to see them this season. This includes coming to their respective high school to visit in between classes, for games, and practices.
John Calipari, Hubert Davis among the head coaches who’ve been in to see Caleb Wilson this season
Mike Woodson, Matt Painter among the head coaches who’ve been in to see Jalen Haralson this season
Tom Izzo, Juwan Howard among the head coaches who’ve been in to see Trey McKenney this season
John Calipari, Kelvin Sampson among the head coaches who’ve been in to see Darius Acuff this season
Next up is Five-Star Plus+ Meleek Thomas, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard out of Lincoln Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s also the nation’s No. 2 shooting guard guard.
6 college programs have been in to see Thomas this season
Meleek Thomas told On3 the following coaches have visited him this season:
- Kentucky head coach John Calipari
- Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang, joined by his full staff
- Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel, joined by assistant Jason Capel
- Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts
- Auburn assistant coach Ira Bowman
- Michigan assistant coach Phil Martelli
Scouting Report
“Meleek Thomas is a bucket-getter who is wired to score. He is electric when it comes to shooting the ball with range that extends well beyond the three-point arc and the confidence that extends to any level. He has good length with some quick-twitch pop to his game. Thomas is able to carve out space off the bounce. His dribble can get him open, and he has the ability to contort his body to get his shoulders squared upon release. He will need to continue adding weight to his frame. Scoring comes so easily to him, he can get shot happy. Thomas is a good on-ball defender and has natural instincts in the passing lanes. he is tracking as one of the top guards, nationally, in his class.” – On3’s Jamie Shaw
Thomas’ On3 NIL Valuation worth $200K+
Meleek Thomas’ current On3 NIL Valuation is $223,000. This valuation currently places him at No. 30 in the On3 high school basketball NIL Ranking.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college-level athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a specific moment in time.
The On3 NIL Valuation is comprised of many dynamic data points that focus on three primary categories: social media, athletic performance, and endorsements and collectives.
The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.