College hoops insider hints at 5-star guard Meleek Thomas’ commitment to Dan Hurley’s UConn

Meleek Thomas, the coveted five-star shooting guard from Lincoln Park High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has garnered significant interest from elite college basketball programs. Rivals national recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy suggested that Thomas, a top-10 prospect in the class of 2025, is leaning toward committing to the University of Connecticut under coach Dan Hurley.

Cassidy noted the growing buzz surrounding Thomas' potential commitment to the Huskies, especially following his June 22 visit to Storrs.

"It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to imagine five-star guard Meleek Thomas landing anywhere but UConn," Cassidy wrote.

While Arkansas was once a strong contender, their pursuit of Darius Acuff could complicate their chances with Thomas, according to Cassidy.

Aki Collins, Director of Scouting, Recruiting and Retention at Overtime Elite, praised Meleek Thomas' potential.

"Meleek is a high-energy young man who fits the culture of what we are continuing to build at OTE," Collins said. "He’s a dynamic playmaker and highly regarded as one of the top players in the country."

The culmination of a three-year recruiting process, Thomas' future appears to be shaping toward UConn, where his development on and off the court is highly anticipated.

Meleek Thomas draws closer to UConn, eyes Hurley’s winning culture

The 6-foot-4 dynamic guard was impressed by his visit to UConn in June,

"I’m a winner, too. So that is something I want to go see, and go visit," Thomas told On3.

ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla highlighted Hurley's commitment to UConn as a significant advantage in recruiting top talent like Thomas.

"Danny was at an incredible career fork in the road this weekend," Fraschilla told NJ Advance Media. "The fact that he can use two national titles and interest from the NBA is a boon to UConn’s recruiting."

Hurley’s decision to stay with UConn over an opportunity with the Lakers allows him to pitch to elite players.

"I turned down coaching LeBron James so that I can stay here and coach you," Hurley said.

Meleek Thomas also spoke about his expectations from a program.

“I’m going to be looking for a genuine coaching staff. A school that is in a great area," he told On3. "I want to be comfortable on the court, so I’ll be looking at the system and the program.

"Not only do I want to have great players around me, but I want to have winning players around me. We are not going to b.s. in practice, no losers. I’m a winning player and I want winning players around me."

Meleek Thomas, ranked No. 7 as per ESPN's recruiting cycle, has received offers from Pittsburgh, Auburn, Kentucky, Penn State, Indiana and Duke.