Adou Thiero, CJ Fredrick on Kentucky's locker room celebration at Tennessee

Kentucky Basketball finally won on the road when the Wildcats stole Saturday’s rivalry game from the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. Afterward, the team celebrated by showering John Calipari with water in the visitors’ locker room. Calipari had to dry off and change clothes before his postgame press conference from Thompson-Boling Arena.

🗣️ Road Kill pic.twitter.com/cfFWEUnNZA

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 14, 2023

Back in Lexington on Monday, KSR ran down Adou Thiero and CJ Fredrick to explain their roles in messing up Calipari’s great hair amid Saturday’s celebration. The tape very clearly identifies Thiero as a probable suspect in the shower, so he was given the opportunity to admit his guilt in Monday’s pre-Georgia game press conference.

When asked if he was one of the water throwers, Thiero replied, “Yeah, I was. For sure.”

Thiero explained further: “The locker room, it was very fun. We got in there. We were all hype. I mean, it was a great road win and it was just great to get that feeling. Everyone was like, ‘We’re gonna pour water on Cal, we’re gonna pour water on Cal,’ so then I got my water bottle and threw it on him.”

Fredrick added, “It wasn’t my idea, but I was for it. I was definitely for it. We all needed that. It’s tough to win on the road. It doesn’t matter who it is, and a top-five team–so you always want to celebrate wins. You get–how many games do we play, 30, 31 regular season–just celebrate wins, especially that one.”

So who was the first to soak Calipari? Neither Thiero nor Fredrick could recall the ringleader.

Thiero said, “I really don’t remember. I just remember someone saying it. I don’t think I was really paying attention that close. We’re all jumping around and stuff and then someone said it and somehow I had water.”

Thiero on Fredrick’s leadership

Also spotted in the video of Kentucky’s postgame celebration, CJ Fredrick addressed the team to tell his teammates it’s only up from there. On Monday, Thiero commented on Fredrick’s role as a leader and how Fredrick looked out for Thiero in Saturday’s win at Tennessee.

“CJ is a very good leader,” he said. “On the court, he’s talking if it’s not his man, he’s still talking to you. And he always makes sure like, I don’t put my head down because after my first turnover, he was telling me like you’re good, you’re good, just calm down and stay focused, you’ll be fine. I just really needed that and that was very helpful.”

Hear more from CJ Fredrick and Adou Thiero