Meleek Thomas shares 4-word message for 2026 Class hooper (Image: IG/meleek.thomas) — Meleek Thomas shares 4-word message for 2026 Class hooper (Image: Instagram/meleek.thomas)

5-star Arkansas Razorbacks signee Meleek Thomas shares 4-word message for 2026 class hooper

Modified Dec 18, 2024 18:12 GMT

Arkansas signee and five-star recruit Meleek Thomas was impressed by Class of 2026 prospect Amon Hawthorne. The 6-foot-2 point guard, who plays for Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh, caught Thomas' attention after a highlight reel was posted by digital creator "dreamshotsmedia" on Wednesday.

Thomas reshared the video of Hawthorne's best on-court moments on his Instagram story with a four-word message:

"My lil brudda nice."

5-star Arkansas Razorbacks signee Meleek Thomas shares 4-word message for 2026 Class hooper

Check out Amon Hawthorne's highlight reel below:

On the other hand, Thomas himself has been putting on a show for City Reapers in the Overtime Elite League. In the opening game against Eli Ellis' No. 1-ranked team, YNG Dreamerz, Thomas led the Reapers to an 85-81 win.

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists while shooting 50.0% from the field, including 25.0 % from beyond the arc, finishing with the most points and assists for his team.

In the Nike EYBL, Meleek Thomas represented New Heights Lightning NYC and averaged 20.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 3.1 apg this season. In last year's edition, Thomas averaged 13.5 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.6 rpg and 1.5 spg on 48.9% FG including 36.5% from the 3-point range.

He also showed improvement at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. In 2023, Thomas shot 34.8% from beyond the arc and averaged 1.3 spg. In 2024, he recorded 22.6 points with 80.8% from the free-throw line, 7.3 assists, 7.4 rebounds and stole the ball 1.7 times (third-best in the camp).

Why did Meleek Thomas join Arkansas?

Meleek Thomas rejected offers from programs such as his hometown program Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Auburn, to commit to the Razorbacks on Nov. 11.

He explained why he chose Arkansas while talking to On3:

“When I was making my college decision, I wanted to make sure that everything was a fit from play style and how they will use me on the team but also that it felt like home to me and my family.

"Family is so important to me – and with Coach Cal [John Calipari] and the team at Arkansas, I felt at home. I am going to spend my senior season at OTE, just developing and continuing to be the best player I can so I can make an impact in Fayetteville right away.”

Meleek Thomas will be joined by Darius Acuff and Isaiah Sealy, two Arkansas signees, next season.