Video: John Calipari’s Arkansas commit Meleek Thomas shows off “elite” footwork in workout clip

Five-star guard and McDonald's All-American, Meleek Thomas, was John Calipari's second commit in the class of 2025. Thomas committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks last year over offers from the UConn Huskies and his hometown program, the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Thomas arrived on campus last month and has been impressive during open training. In a clip posted on Instagram on Monday, Thomas showed off his elite footwork in the paint during training with Arkansas coaches. He dribbled in the paint, pump-faked before scoring an easy jumper.

Meleek Thomas will be joined at Arkansas by Darius Acuff, the No. 1 point guard and the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports, to form one of the most talented backcourts in the country.

The duo alongside four-star prospect Isaiah Sealy gave coach John Calipari the No. 6 recruiting class in the country.

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John Calipari points out flaws in Meleek Thomas' game

Meleek Thomas starred for the New Heights Lightning and averaged 20.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the Nike EYBL circuit last spring and was one of the most highly sought-after players in the country. Thomas revealed that the coach's pedigree with producing NBA-ready players was one of the motivating factors behind his commitment.

During Saturday's segment of the "College Basketball Show" with CBS analyst Jon Rothstein, the ever-charismatic John Calipari broke down the flaws in the shooting guard's game and how he's trying to improve those aspects.

“What I’m trying to do with him (Meleek Thomas), you’re not taking 12 dribbles,” Calipari said. “It’s not how the game is played. Get in the lane. He’s got a great floater, and he’s gotten better here in the weeks that we’ve been practicing because you got to make a play and see it before you catch it. Not, ‘I’m going to catch the ball and then I’m going to do this and try to get a shot.’ "Those days are done. The game’s not played that way. Every drill that we do, all the five-on-five, four-on-four, three-on-three, if a guy takes too many bounces, boop, that’s a turnover. Leave it go. If he spins in the SEC, you spin, they’re coming. You’re not going to keep going. You’re going to spin, and there’s going to be a guy there.”

Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff will headline John Calipari's team next season alongside an experienced transfer portal core including Karim Rtail, Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin as the Razorbacks attempt to improve on last season's Sweet 16 finish.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra