Adou Thiero shares what he learned last season, what he sees from freshmen

Kentucky’s Adou Thiero was a late-offseason add a year ago as an unheralded and virtually unknown three-star recruit, much like a couple of UK’s additions this summer. But after a year under head coach John Calipari where he mostly rode the bench, Thiero is ready to take on a bigger role. In order to do so, he knows he’ll need to compete at a higher level.

At least, that was his answer when asked the biggest change in his game from last spring to right now.

“I don’t know, just, you know, competing. You always got to compete every second.,” Thiero said of what he learned in his first season. “Last year, I think I competed, but I don’t really think like I competed to where, like, I should have been. So I feel like I can use that more coming into this year, showing all the other guys and then they’re bringing that level of competition with them too.”

Besides a raise in his experience and competitiveness, Thiero says he has also grown quite a bit physically and could be ready to handle the responsibilities of a forward in 2023.

“I didn’t really realize how strong I was getting until people started pointing it out and then I realized geez, I’m getting a lot stronger,” Thiero told reporters ahead of the team’s trip to Canada. “So I think it’s just really helped my game a lot and I don’t want to get stronger anymore. I just want to stay like this, maintain this strength.”

This newfound size and strength adds an extra dimension to Thiero’s game defensively to where he now feels he can matchup at a multitude of positions.

“I think it’ll help me guard multiple positions and just be a good defender all around,” Thiero added. “Be able to guard the one, two, three, four, and if I got to switch onto the five I’ll be able to guard him for a little bit.”

Lastly, he also says his rebounding has improved, which was evident in Kentucky’s first game of its Canadian tour, where Thiero was a menace on the glass and on defense in the win over Germany.

“I’ve been trying to use my body more to get in the paint, create for myself, create for others, or just get rebounds because rebounding is important. Get us more possessions and cut the other team’s possessions down.”

Of course, Kentucky was a top rebounding team in the country, anchored by the efforts of Oscar Tshiebwe down there. A step back on the glass is still expected, but Adou Thiero is trying to chip in and provide a little bit of what Oscar left behind.

With his unique combination of size and skills, Thiero presents a perfect modern four-man. He is a capable shooter, but by no means a reliable one, can handle the ball (and was a backup point guard at times last year) while also providing the best defense and rebounding of anybody that’s not a center.

Year No. 2 could be a special one for Adou Thiero.