"First game was dat"- 5-star SG Meleek Thomas reacts to rapper Tee Grizzley attending his first OTE game

Modified Nov 03, 2024 00:17 GMT

It was a sight many hoped to catch, as five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas played his debut Overtime Elite game. One of the most notable personalities present to watch the top-rated basketball prospect was rapper Tee Grizzley.The basketball star took notice, posting the acknowledgement on his Instagram story with the caption:

“First game was dat.”

Five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas' Instagram story

Meleek Thomas made the move from Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to join Overtime Elite in the summer. He made his first appearance for the Overtime Elite outfit against the Cold Hearts on Nov. 2, delivering a dominant performance.

The Pennsylvania native scored 32 points, and made three assists and 12 rebounds as his side earned a 92-87 victory. He was named Player of the Game.

Assessing Meleek Thomas’ basketball credentials

Meleek Thomas is an 18-year-old shooting guard who stands at 6-ft-3 and weighs 175 pounds. He is the No. 2 shooting guard nationally and the No. 8 overall high school senior according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He excelled at Lincoln Park, earning the description as “one of those one-in-a-kind players” by the school coach Mike Bariski.

Distinguished by his shooting prowess, Thomas has noted that his defensive ability gives him an edge over his peers. He said in a chat with the Pittsburgh Union Progress:

“I take pride in defense. 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.”

With the kind of quality he possesses, Thomas has attracted interest from top college programs, getting 23 offers per 247Sports. Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Auburn are some of the top programs actively recruiting him.

He has been on visits to Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Connecticut, Penn State, Auburn, and Kentucky, among others. The Razorbacks are 94.2% favorites to land the star according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

His scoring ability is attested to by his impressive figures at Lincoln Park. This includes a 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists average as a junior en route Lincoln Park’s second straight PIAA state championship.

He left the school with a total of 1,750 points after just three years. His move to Overtime Elite is expected to expose him to a higher level of quality than the conventional high school.