John Calipari impact on full display after 5-star Arkansas commitment
11/11/2024 09:06 PM
The Arkansas Razorbacks made a massive change this offseason, bringing in a top-notch coach in John Calipari. Calipari replaced Eric Musselman who departed the program for USC. It is very early in Calipari's Arkansas tenure, but it appears as if it's already paying off as the program just landed a major recruit in five-star guard Meleek Thomas, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Meleek Thomas' commitment to Arkansas gives John Calipari his second recruit for the class of 2025, alongside point guard Darius Acuff Jr. Both Thomas are Acuff are five-star recruits and considered top ten prospects in their class.
Thomas spent last season at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Pennsylvania before joining Overtime Elite for this season. He chose Arkansas over offers from his hometown Pittsburgh as well as UConn.
Prior to narrowing down his finalists, he had offers from major NCAA Division 1 programs such as Auburn, Kansas, Michigan, Louisville, Xavier, Illinois, Tennessee, Rutgers, Alabama and Indiana.
Thomas is considered an NBA Prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Calipari is tasked with continuing a strong tradition of excellence that Musselman had established the past five seasons. With the exception of last season, Musselman's tenure at Arkansas included four winning seasons, two Elite Eight appearances and one Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The former Kentucky coach brought along several of his Wildcats players via the transfer portal to Arkansas. The Razorbacks will be boosted by the additions of center Zvonimir Ivisic, guard DJ Wagner and forward Adou Thiero.
He also was able to flip the commitments of several of his 2024 Kentucky commits such as guard Boogie Fland, forward Karter Knox and forward Billy Richmond. At Kentucky, Calipari built a reputation as being one of the best recruiters in the country and being able to get those players to the NBA. It appears as if he's continuing that legacy at Arkansas.
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