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No. 8 recruit Meleek Thomas has climbed up the ladder of basketball talents. Playing for the City Reapers in the Overtime Elite Academy, he's a consensus five-star recruit and appeared on the Best of Both Worlds podcast with LSU star Flau'jae Johnson.
In the podcast, Johnson and Thomas talked about being the Overtime Elite Academy and how different it's to play there compared to other basketball academies.
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Johnson reminisced about the time when she started going viral for her displays on the court, getting her first Overtime post. She also asked Meleek Thomas how it felt to appear on Overtime:
"Just like you said, I used to watch everybody, I used to see everything and be behind the scenes and just really pay attention. One day I want this to be me, so now it's just like it's my time, and everything I've prayed for is on the way," said Thomas.
When asked how OTE was different, Meelek pointed out the strictness and discipline aspect of the academy:
"Just how serious they take everything. No days off, you wake up and you lifting and you practicing. Before you even get to school, I'd say the discipline level, how sharp and structured they are about every single little thing and all of that is going to translate to the next level."
For the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, Thomas scored 1,750 points in three years, posing averages of 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.3 steals per contest.
In the Nike EYBL, Thomas played for New Heights Lightning and averaged 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27 minutes per game.
How good is Meleek Thomas?
According to 247Sports, Thomas has received offers from 23 colleges including Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Auburn, Kansas and more. While talking to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, Thomas talked about his defensive prowess and how it differentiates him from other players:
"I take pride in defense," Thomas said. "The more you get into the season, the harder the games become.
"The atmosphere becomes bigger. Everything just gets more serious, more intense. So, if I lollygagged around on defense, I would be viewed as a completely different player."
According to On3's recruitment prediction machine, his hometown Pittsburgh has a 22% chance of recruiting Thomas, followed by Connecticut with a 14.6% prediction, Auburn with a 12.5% possibility and Arkansas with a 10.4% chance to land Meleek Thomas.
Where do you think Thomas will play next season?
