5-Star Guard Meleek Thomas Signs Overtime Elite Contract; Will Visit UConn, Arkansas

5-star guard Maleek Thomas reached a contract with Overtime Elite that will allow him to make money off his name, image and likeness while retaining his college eligibility.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Thomas will transfer from Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh to focus his time on basketball with OTE.

"I did everything I needed to do where I'm from," Thomas said. "We won back-to-back state championships. Now it's time to be seen by NBA personnel, GMs, scouts, the people that you need to be in front of. At OTE they get your name out. Everything they do goes around the world. I want to be broadcasted more."

Thomas plans on visiting UConn and Arkansas this summer as he prepares for his senior season, and he told ESPN he was impressed that Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job to return to Storrs.

"I didn't expect that; it just popped up," Thomas said. "He ended up turning it down, which must mean something. That definitely makes UConn more attractive now. With all the money he was offered, he's still committed to the school he built up. Being highly recruited by him means they are serious. That's the message I got."

247Sports ranks Thomas as the No. 6 overall player and top-ranked combo guard in the 2025 class.

Overtime Elite has been an incubator for high-profile talent since being founded in 2021. Brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson were lottery picks in the 2023 NBA draft, and Alex Sarr and Rob Dillingham are among the alums expected to be taken high in this month's draft.

Thomas joins an elite group of young talent already on Overtime Elite rosters, highlighted by Bryson Tiller, Mikel Brown, Akai Fleming and Lincoln Cosby. Tiller ranks one spot behind Thomas on 247Sports' rankings for the 2025 class, and Brown is also considered a 5-star prospect. Cosby is a rising young superstar in the 2027 class.

While he's two years away from being draft-eligible, Thomas is seemingly positioning himself to be a one-and-done candidate and enter the 2026 NBA draft. That could give Arkansas a leg up in pursuing Thomas, given John Calipari's extensive experience readying players for the draft.

Hurley, by contrast, has largely built his program around upperclassmen, though that could change after winning back-to-back national titles.