Inside The Panthers

Pitt Basketball Makes Final Three for 5-Star Meleek Thomas

Pitt made the final three schools for five-star guard Meleek Thomas.

Dominic Campbell

Lincoln Park s Meleek Thomas goes in for a layup against North Catholic s Jude Rottmann during a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game, Friday at Fox Chapel High School.
Lincoln Park s Meleek Thomas goes in for a layup against North Catholic s Jude Rottmann during a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game, Friday at Fox Chapel High School. / Sally Maxson / for BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK
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PITTSBURGH -- Five-star Class of 2025 guard Meleek Thomas is coming closer to a decision and has kept Pitt as one of his top schools.

Joe Tipton of On3 announced that Thomas is down to three schools, with Pitt, Arkansas and UConn competing for one of the best players in the country. He will also make his decision on Nov. 11, just one week away.

Thomas has taken official visits to all three schools, coming to Pitt the weekend of March 9, UConn June 19-21 and Arkansas Oct. 4-6.

He previously had a top seven school list that he released on July 23, which also included Big 12 schools Kansas and Kansas State and SEC schools in Alabama and Auburn.

Thomas is a Pittsburgh native and played his first three seasons of high school basketball at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Pa. up in Beaver County, about 35-40 miles northwest of Pitt's campus.

He averaged 22.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game, respectively in the 2023-24 season while shooting 57% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 78% from the free-throw line.

His work with former teammate and Pitt freshman Brandin Cummings, made for the best duo not just in the WPIAL, but in the commonwealth too. They won back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A Championships together.

Pitt fans would love to not just see Cummings play at the Petersen Events Center, but Thomas too, bringing the program back to its glory days.

Thomas grew his relationship with the Pitt coaching staff during his time in Pittsburgh, particularly head coach Jeff Capel and assistant coach Jason Capel. He also came to a number of games throughout the season to watch the team.

He spoke to Tipton about the Panthers coaching staff continuing to get in touch with him and that watching how Bub Carrington went in the NBA Draft lottery lets him know he can go pro easily with the program. 

“They’re on me heavy, still, Thomas said to Tipton about Pitt. "They’re pushing the hometown kid and letting me know that I can do everything I want from home. They’re contacting me every day, letting me know they are still here. They want me to keep them in the loop."

“Seeing Bub Carrington go one-and-done plays a big role. Seeing him do this in the most recent year lets me know that they can do it. When Pitt gets a player, they develop them and let get them where they want to go. So seeing that is big.”

Thomas transferred to play for Overtime Elite in Atlanta and now plays against some of the best players in the country consistently.

Pitt has one commitment in the Class of 2025 in four-star guard Omari Witherspoon who plays for St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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