UConn Could Be Turned Off By Five-Star Recruit: 'Too Many Red Flags'
The UConn Huskies have won back-to-back national championships due to a team-first culture that head coach Dan Hurley has established in Storrs.
Insane work ethic, passion, and selflessness are required characteristics for all UConn players and staff. As such, Hurley isn’t going to recruit players who don't exemplify these qualities.
It’s for the above reason that Hurley and UConn may be cooling to the idea of adding five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas to the program.
Thomas is one of the most talented players in the entire 2025 class, and he’s widely presumed to be a one-and-done guy. There’s no denying Thomas’s elite ability, but some programs, UConn included, are reportedly doubting whether Thomas can buy into a selfless culture and contribute to a legitimate team-oriented atmosphere.
Locked On UConn’s Mark Zanetto communicated these concerns about Thomas in a new podcast this week.
“(Thomas) changes his schedule constantly, he’s canceling visits … not only the Huskies, but people at Arkansas, Alabama are not exactly enamored with how he’s handling the recruiting process,” Zanetto said. “They feel like he’s immature. … There’s too many red flags with Meleek. … I just don't think there’s a chance they (UConn) even want him here anymore.”
“They’re so protective of their process. … If (Hurley) doesn’t respect your grind … he’s not going to respect you as a person or as a basketball player, no matter how good you are.”
Suggestions that Thomas wouldn’t buy completely into a team culture align with other reports that he may prefer to attend a school where he’s not surrounded by other five-star recruits -- perhaps a place like Syracuse, where Thomas could dominate the ball and leave no doubt in the minds of NBA scouts as to his full offensive arsenal.
Thomas should continue to be himself and choose his college destination accordingly. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing his NBA future over buying into team goals for one year at the NCAA level.
At the same time, coaches like Hurley aren’t going to be interested in bringing aboard a player with that mindset.
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COLIN KEANE
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org