Former Kentucky forward Adou Thiero commits to Arkansas…..
Adou Thiero won’t be returning to Kentucky Basketball, but he is rejoining his old coach.
On Monday, Thiero committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks, reuniting him with John Calipari. On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news.
Thiero had previously set a final five of Kentucky, Arkansas, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Indiana, though it never appeared the Wildcats were a serious suitor once Calipari left Lexington.
A former class of 2022 signee of the Kentucky Wildcats, Thiero arrived in Lexington as an unheralded 3-star recruit, but he quickly became a key player in the rotation.
As a sophomore this past season, the 6-foot-8, 222-pound Thiero averaged 7.2 points on 49.2% shooting (31.8% on 3-point shooting), 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game. He battled a back injury early in the season that cost him several weeks.
Adou’s father, Almamy Thiero, played for Coach Cal at Memphis from 2002-06 before finishing his career at Duquesne.
Best of luck to Thiero as he looks to take the next step of his basketball journey while playing for Coach Cal in Fayetteville!
Arkansas basketball landed another former Kentucky player from the transfer portal on Monday afternoon.
Arkansas basketball and John Calipari have landed another big time transfer portal player. Former Kentucky forward Adou Thiero committed to the Razorbacks on Monday afternoon, according to a post on his personal Instagram account. He chose Arkansas over offers from Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Kentucky and Indian.
Thiero is currently rated as the No. 10 overall transfer available and No. 3 power forward by 247Sports. He originally committed to the Wildcats as part of the 2022 recruiting class, but played sparingly during his freshman season.
The 6-8, 222-pound forward showed much more promise his sophomore season, despite missing eight games due to injury. He started in 19 of 25 games and averaged 7.2 points, 5.o rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocks. He shot 49.2% from the field, 31.8% from three and 80.0% from the charity stripe.
The Leetsdale (Pa.) native had 16 points and 13 rebounds in an 89-84 loss to No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 11; recorded 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks in an 89-85 loss to Gonzaga on Feb. 10 and tallied 14 points with rebounds in a 70-59 win at No. 13 Auburn on Feb. 17.
“Don’t let the numbers fool you, Thiero is a highly impactful transfer,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Travis Branham wrote recently. “He has great physical tools, is a big-time athlete, and competes on both ends of the floor. Thiero is not far from polishing his jumper to push him over the edge and become a NBA Draft pick. The former Wildcat will bring defense, physicality, rebounding and intangibles to his next team.”
Thiero is the seventh pledge for the Razorbacks in this cycle, and they currently have six roster spots left to fill for the 2024-25 season.
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