Arkansas freshman Meleek Thomas shares 2-word reaction as John Calipari's squad gets back in the gym

Meleek Thomas is expected to play a key role for John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks in his freshman year in the 2025-26 season. The guard also appears to be fitting in well with his new teammates.

On Tuesday, Thomas shared some footage of his Arkansas teammates in a practice session on the court.

"My squad," Thomas wrote on his IG story.

Thomas, a five-star recruit, committed to Arkansas in November. He picked the Razorbacks over Pittsburgh and UConn, which were on his narrowed-down list.

Thomas played the first three years of his high school career at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School. He led the team to two straight PIAA state championships in his sophomore and junior years.

After his junior year at Lincoln Park, Thomas joined the Overtime Elite's City Reapers as a non-professional player. He joined the league to preserve his collegiate eligibility. Thomas was also selected as a McDonald's All-American earlier this year.

It will be interesting to see how Thomas fares at Arkansas next season, especially since he chose to play under Calipari after receiving several offers from different schools.

John Calipari led Arkansas to Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament

NCAA Basketball: Arkansas Razorbacks HC John Calipari - Source: Imagn

Arkansas hired John Calipari in April 2024. In his first year with the program, the coach led the team to a 22-14 record, which included a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks registered wins over Kansas and St. John's in March Madness before falling to Texas Tech.

Calipari, who was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, coached at Kentucky for 15 years before signing his contract with Arkansas. He led the Wildcats to the national championship in 2012.

Calipari will have a better understanding of his Arkansas team entering his second year. However, the main aim will be to win the national title.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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Edited by Krutik Jain