Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Adou Thiero goes portaling (but doesn't rule out a return)

Rather than getting the lay of the land in Dallas this weekend, Kentucky basketball’s attention has turned toward 2024-25 and its roster with stay/go decisions and transfer portal additions and subtractions. The offseason is here, and it didn’t take long for movement to get rolling, starting all the way at the very top of the program in John Calipari. Mitch Barnhart announced and welcomed his return back to Lexington while addressing the trajectory of the program during a sitdown with Coach Cal on BBN Tonight.

“We didn’t come to this program to sit here and say, ‘Hey, let’s just see if we can casually walk through this thing and in sashay all the way to the end of the deal.’ I want to win,” Barnhart said.

How these next few weeks and months will play a significant part in just how much winning next year’s group will be doing. What do we know thus far and what is to come? Let the roster tracker madness begin!

GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell

TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*

UNDECIDED: Aaron Bradshaw, Jordan Burks, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard, DJ Wagner

* Also testing NBA Draft waters

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IMPORTANT DATES

• April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
• May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
• May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
• May 13-19: NBA Combine
• June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
• June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
• June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round

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UPDATES

March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters

• Coming off a strong sophomore campaign averaging 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest, Thiero became the first official roster decision of the offseason for Kentucky
• Initially putting his name in the transfer portal, KSR has since learned that the 6-8 wing will also enter the NBA Draft while considering a potential return to Lexington
• “It’s all there for him. He’s gotten so much better,” John Calipari said of Thiero to close out the regular season. “He’s not even what he was a year ago and what he is now. And I still think he’s going to be 6-9. He’s probably 6-7, maybe a little bit bigger now. By the time next year rolls around, he’ll be 6-9.”
• In ESPN’s first 2025 NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony included Thiero at No. 27 overall

March 27: Kentucky reaches out to Milwaukee transfer BJ Freeman

• The UW-Milwaukee transfer heard from UK assistant Chuck Martin this week, the Wildcats joining Kansas, Tennessee, Syracuse, Providence, Mississippi State, Missouri, Villanova, Arizona State, Arkansas, UCF, Xavier, Colorado, and Texas A&M among interested suitors.
• Freeman tells KSR+ he plans to make a decision in “three to four weeks” and says “maybe I could be one of the next Kentucky greats and Kentucky pros”
• The 6-6, 180-pound combo guard averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 2023-24

March 26: Kentucky reaches out to UTSA transfer Jordan Ivy-Curry

• Kentucky joins Auburn, Xavier, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Texas A&M, LSU, Seton Hall, Ole Miss, Penn State, Arizona State and Boston College as schools interested.
• The 6-3, 175-pound guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the Roadrunners in 2023-24

March 25: Kentucky reaches out to Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi

• The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 2023-24
• Previously calling UK his “dream school” in high school, Omoruyi is rated as the No. 2 overall player in On3’s Transfer Rankings
• Kentucky joins Kansas, Baylor, UConn, St. John’s, Alabama, Auburn, USC, and Florida as interested schools
• This was the first known name of interest for the Wildcats in the portal since the team’s season ended