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After playing his final game for the City Reapers on Saturday, five-star Arkansas signee Meleek Thomas closed the chapter on his high school basketball career, ready to take on the challenges of college basketball.
Thomas' departure is, however, a bittersweet experience. The City Reapers fans will miss his consistently electrifying performances, while the Razorbacks can't wait to have him.
For City Reapers coach Doug Martin, Meleek Thomas was beyond just an elite performer. His attitude and mentality were also enviable, which makes him difficult to replace.
"I want a Meleek Thomas every year," Martin said. "He has a never-give-up mentality. He is even more elite than I thought he was. His care is second to none in real-time. It's gonna take him places. That was his sole goal was to come here and win an OTE championship.
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"I think he did everything he could to will us, to get us to victory. I want a Meleek Thomas every year. I think I deserve it."
Meleek Thomas and the City Reapers ended the season by losing in the OTE finals to YNG Dreamerz in four games. Thomas, as usual, was electrifying in the finals, delivering 110 points in the games.
He averaged 27.3 points, 3.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds in the playoffs. And in the regular season, he averaged 26.8 ppg, 4.3 apg and 8.9 rpg.
With Meleek Thomas' level of play, Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari can't wait to have him.
"One thing I loved about Meleek was his willingness to be coached": Arkansas coach John Calipari on Meleek Thomas
Five-star prospect Meleek Thomas announced his commitment to Arkansas in November 2024, choosing the Razorbacks over other top colleges, including Kansas, Duke, Alabama, Michigan and Louisville.
Sharing his thoughts via a tweet after Thomas signed, Arkansas coach John Calipari discussed one of Thomas' fondest qualities:
"One thing I loved about Meleek was his willingness to be coached. When I spoke with him about his game, I told him he needed to add a floater. Then, when I watched him play in the state championship game, he hit a game-winning shot, and it was a floater. That showed me he wanted to be coached! Our fans will love watching him play in Bud Walton (Arena) next year!"
Meleek Thomas, ranked No. 10 in the 2025 class by ESPN, will be joining fellow top-ranked seniors Darius Acuff (No. 5) and Isaiah Sealy (No. 67), who also signed with Arkansas.
