Dan Hurley and the UConn men’s basketball program are staying busy this summer.
The reigning back-to-back champions are building to sustain success, targeting top recruits in the Class of 2025. UConn will reportedly host five-star guard Meleek Thomas, ranked No. 7 in the class by ESPN and No. 6 by 247Sports’ composite ranking, and four-star guard Acaden Lewis, No. 67 by ESPN and No. 59 by 247Sports, in June.
Thomas, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Pittsburgh, will be on campus this week for his official visit, set to begin Wednesday. He announced June 11 that he will be leaving Lincoln Park Performing Arts High in Pittsburgh to sign with Overtime Elite for his senior season after winning back-to-back Pennsylvania state titles. According to ESPN, Thomas was averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27 minutes per game for New Heights Lightning in the Nike EYBL this spring heading into the NBPA Top 100 Camp, where Hurley and the UConn staff watched him play right after Hurley’s decision to turn down the Los Angeles Lakers.
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“I didn’t expect that; it just popped up,” Thomas told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony of Hurley’s exploration of the Lakers’ head coaching position. “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.”
Thomas, offered by Duke, Indiana, Kentucky and St. John’s, among others, will also reportedly visit John Calipari at Arkansas from June 25-27.
While Thomas is in Arkansas, Lewis will begin his unofficial visit in Storrs.
A 6-foot-3 combo guard from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., Lewis is averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while playing with Team Durant on the EYBL Circuit this spring, according to On3. He earned an offer from the Huskies after the NBPA Top 100 Camp and has also received offers from Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina, among several others.
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Thomas’ visit will be held a day before the first round of the NBA Draft, when Hurley will most likely be in Brooklyn to watch Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle hear their names called in the first round, potentially in the top five. Clingan and Castle, looking to become Hurley’s third and fourth lottery picks at UConn, were both invited to sit in the green room.
UConn sent three players to the NBA after the NCAA title in 2023, with Jordan Hawkins a lottery selection of the New Orleans Pelicans and Andre Jackson a second-round pick by the Orlando Magic, quickly traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Adama Sanogo signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls just after the draft concluded.
In addition to Clingan and Castle, All-American point guard Tristen Newton and Big East first teamer Cam Spencer also hope to hear their names called later this month.
