High School Spotlight: The Dynamic Skillset of Five-Star Guard Meleek Thomas

A headliner in the Overtime Elite program this season, Meleek Thomas is one of the most dynamic seniors in the country.

Meleek Thomas (5) goes for the acrobatic finish during the first half of play of Lincoln Park's quarterfinal victory over Knoch at UPMC Court Wednesday night. / Ethan Morrison / For BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK

In what was a significant move, Meleek Thomas left Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh to sign with Overtime Elite this summer. After winning at the highest level and accomplishing a tremendous amount in the typical high school setting, he will now get the exposure and professional-level training ahead of making the leap to college next year. Thomas will be a headliner in the OTE system during the upcoming season, given he’s a top 10 player in his class.

Playing with tenacity and an alpha mentality, Thomas is a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. He can play either guard spot given he has some lead guard traits, but isn’t necessarily a pure floor general at this point. What he can do at an elite level is score the ball and allow his team to run an entire offense through him. He’s a dominant scorer and advance shot-maker who can create for himself. Thomas has deep range that forces defenses to play tight on him beyond the arc, but then he can counter that with a lighting-quick step. The Overtime Elite guard can score effectively from all three levels and can finish with touch or authority when he gets all the way to the rim.

Thomas certainly isn’t undersized at 6-foot-4, but he isn’t as big as some of the modern guards in the NBA. Even then, he’s a solid positional rebounder and has the tools and mentality to be a very good defender at the next level. He gives incredible effort and has a high motor, which is contagious to his teammates around him. He seemingly never backs down from a challenge and likes being the difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. That's the side of the ball where he can really differentiate himself in the upcoming Overtime Elite season, given he will be going up against some of the best scorers in the country.

A five-star recruit, Thomas has big offers from schools like Arkansas, Alabama, UConn, Kansas and many others. Over the next year, he will get to focus even more on basketball and develop in one of the best systems in the world for players of his age. Thomas could very easily be a one-and-done collegiate player and a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

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