Adou Thiero hopes to bring "whatever" Kentucky needs in year one

Adou Thiero comes in ranked as a three-star guard, No. 258 overall in the final On3 Consensus for 2022. Standing 6-foot-6, the Leetsdale, PA native is a late-bloomer, growing over ten inches between his freshman and senior seasons in high school.

He had an incredibly productive senior campaign, averaging 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. He flew under the radar, earning offers from only Duquesne and UC Santa Barbara before catching the attention of John Calipari. The Kentucky head coach extended a scholarship, an official visit was taken and a commitment was made.

Now he’s on campus, one of three freshmen on the Kentucky basketball roster, joining five-star signees Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston. The latter two, McDonald’s All-Americans and consensus top-20 prospects, have expectations of immediate productions. Thiero, however, is seen as a long-term project piece with high potential.

That’s not to say he can’t make an impact on the floor from day one, though. He may not have the star status or ranking, but Thiero plans to help the team right away.

“I’ll bring whatever they need,” the freshman guard said Tuesday. “Playmaking, passing, scoring, I will do whatever. I think defense will probably be one of my strengths. Rebounding, playmaking, scoring, basically almost everything. … I do whatever my teammates need me to do.”

He’s spent his first month-plus on campus focusing on being a good teammate, building chemistry both on and off the floor.

“Summer has been great, we’ve been having a lot of fun on the court, off the court, making sure to stay together,” he said. “We’re building that team chemistry. It’s important that we’re together so during the season, we know each other’s backs. That’ll help a lot.”

Have there been any individual moments where Thiero stood out in practice? Times he separated himself from his peers?

“I definitely have,” he said. “Every practice, something happens, and everyone is like, ‘wow.’ It’s a great experience.”

Care to share any of those key moments?

“I don’t want to make anyone look bad or anything, so I’ll just keep that quiet (laughs),” he joked.

At the end of the day, it’s not about individual success or separating himself on the floor. He only cares about the team’s ultimate goal: winning a national championship.

“I think it’s good for us to keep that mindset so we come into practice every day ready to win No. 9,” said Thiero.