Film study: What Arkansas’ getting in five-star Meleek Thomas
HawgBeat analyst Jackson Collier looks at film of recent five-star commitment Meleek Thomas
Arkansas landed its second five-star in the 2025 class Monday when Meleek Thomas announced his commitment to the Razorbacks. He joins fellow five-star guard Darius Acuff Jr. to form one of the top backcourt duos in the country out of the 2025 class.
The combination harkens back to some of the top two-guard classes Razorback head coach John Calipari signed at Kentucky: Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox; Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson; and most recently Rob Dililngham and Reed Sheppard.
Thomas and Acuff are their own players, though, and will bring their unique skillsets to Fayetteville. For this piece, we will be taking a close look at Thomas and what Razorback fans have to look forward to next season.
Film:
In the modern age, player film is easily accessible to fans and journalists alike, making the scouting process more of a community-based approach. Thomas has even more film available all over the internet with his status playing for Overtime Elite (OTE), which has dedicated social media pages and even games on television to show off the young talent in the league.We'll start with long-form film and breakdowns, and then move to shorter clips to highlight different strengths.
Right off the bat this video shows part of what makes Thomas such a coveted prospect: his touch shot-making ability. He's a true three-level scorer who thrives in taking tough shots off the bounce. Thomas uses his 6-foot-4 frame to create space and rise and fire over defenders. His step-back is next level, and his long arms and shooting form makes it difficult for most guards of similar size to guard his shots.
I would probably say that Thomas’ game is both crafty and unorthodox. He has a great feel for the game and uses his natural instincts to make up for a sometimes loose handle to still get by defenders. Perhaps the most unorthodox aspect of his game is the amount of floaters and step-back or otherwise contested midrange jumpers he takes — but he makes them at a high clip.
While Thomas isn't a sharpshooter, he is a plus-shooter, and projects to be a threat on the perimeter off the bounce and off the catch in college. While his handles look loose at times, he is very much in control of what he is doing with the ball in his hands, and will provide another option to bring the ball up the court alongside Acuff.
Thomas projects as a combo guard and wing for the Razorbacks with great slashing and isolation ability. He is physical with the ball in his hands, does not shy away from contact, finishes well at the rim, and is one of the most gifted scorers in the 2025 class.
While Thomas is known for his scoring, he plays hard on both ends of the floor. His length and wingspan allow him to jump into passing lanes and generate steal on on-ball defense. He has solid instincts on help-side defense and can even be a shot-blocking guard defending drives to the basket.
Perhaps what makes Thomas such a great fit for Calipari and Arkansas is Calipari's desire to play faster. Again, Thomas is crafty in the open court and plays incredibly under control when playing fast. He has shown he can facilitate if need be, but more often than not, players at the high school level are unable to defend him in the open court, so he can keep the ball in his hands and score with minimal issues.
In addition to his overall skill, talent, and speed, Thomas has a competitor's mentality. He doesn't shy away from the big moment, he embraces the spotlight, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Thomas has even proven to be a successful trash-talker in his time in OTE. Now, on to a couple shorter clips.
Thomas seems to thrive on competition and proving others wrong. He said in an interview that he doesn't start the smack talk, but he'll talk back. The clip above is evidence of that, and that he doesn't back down from anything on the basketball court. The Razorbacks haven't had the type of recruit that has equal parts talent and chippiness in recent memory, but Thomas seems to be the perfect combination of those two.
While Thomas is athletic, he isn't necessarily explosive and plays somewhat below the rim. This brief clip also shows how often he goes to his midrange game and how easy it is for him to score there.
Conclusions:
The rankings don't lie, but disregard Thomas' five-star status for a moment and just watch the film. Given his 6-foot-4 frame and overall versatile skillset, Thomas is wired to score and has not yet met competition that can slow him down, whether that's traditional high school, EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) or OTE.
No one has been able to stop Thomas from scoring at the rim, at midrange, or from the perimeter. If one isn't working or isn't falling, Thomas has so many ways and methods to score that he can just try something different. It's not just the scoring, though. What makes him such a coveted prospect is everything in addition to his scoring prowess.
Everyone knows he can score, but it's the competitive attitude, the willingness to defend, his ability to handle the ball, and his overall physicality all combine to make Meleek Thomas one of the best players in the 2025 class, and easily one of the best guards in the class.
