"That's my brother for real": Pittsburg Panthers freshman Brandin Cummings shares his feelings about former teammate and Arkansas signee Meleek Thomas

Pittsburg Panthers freshman guard Brandin Cummings said that he was able to win with Arkansas commitment Meleek Thomas because they were more than just teammates.

During their time together at Lincoln Park in Midland, Pennsylvania, Cummings and Thomas won back-to-back Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 4A championships.

“A lot of these teams nowadays, they have, like, a lot of good players, but they come from all around the country and they just make like a big super team,” Cummings said in an interview posted on the Oakland Originals Instagram page on Friday. "And, you know, the chemistry ain't really there because they ain't grow up together.

“Me and Meleek played AAU together whenever we was kids. So, it wasn't like we went to school together, and that's it. Nah, we was hooping with each other for a while. So, that communication comes from just being from brothers. I always tell people, like, we ain't just teammates. That's my brother for real.

"Whenever we are on the court, it's like I'm not just playing with my teammate, I'm playing with somebody who cares about me and somebody who I care about.

“And plus, whenever you got two good players, if you want to win a championship, y'all are gonna have to buy into the same thing. Like, y'all can't go out there and be like, 'I want to score 35 and want him to score.' Nah, I'm going to get 25; he can get 25. We are going to win this game. That's the most important thing.

“Me and Meleek out there, and we just knew we going to have to do this in order to win a championship. So, we made sure we had to communicate and be the leaders for our team because we really wanted to win. That was the most important thing.”

Cummings and Thomas later left Lincoln Park, with both players going in separate directions. While Cummings joined the Pittsburgh Panthers, Thomas, who is ESPN’s ninth overall prospect in the Class of 2025, is having a great season with the City Reapers in Overtime Elite.

Cummings failed to convince Thomas

Despite their friendship as a child, Brandin Cummings was unable to convince Meleek Thomas to join him in Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-4 Thomas chose Arkansas ahead of the Pitt Panthers despite Cummings' attempts to convince him.

Thomas put Pittsburgh into consideration as the Panthers were one of the three schools on his final shortlist. However, despite growing up in the city, Thomas eventually chose Arkansas.