Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero following John Calipari to Arkansas

Before John Calipari even left Kentucky for Arkansas, sophomore Adou Thiero had already entered his name into the transfer portal and was expected to play under a new coach next season. But on Monday, Thiero announced on social media that he’ll instead follow Calipari and suit up for the Razorbacks in 2024-25.

Thiero elected to stick with his head coach of the last two years, choosing Arkansas over a group of finalists that also included North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Indiana, and a return to Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 wing took a visit to Pitt in late April before making a surprise trip to Arkansas last week.

“I started with Coach Cal and want to see it through with him,” Thiero told ESPN. “Very excited to join the family and ready to get to work.”

During the 2023-24 season at Kentucky, Thiero averaged 7.2 points, five rebounds, and one block in 21.4 minutes per game for the Wildcats while shooting 49.2 percent from the field.

BREAKING: Kentucky transfer forward Adou Thiero has committed to Arkansas and John Calipari, he tells @On3sports.

The 6-8 sophomore averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. https://t.co/O0tO13Wi8G pic.twitter.com/USc4HrcJwF

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 6, 2024

Thiero’s father, Almamy, played for Calipari back in the Memphis days, so there’s a strong connection between Calipari and the Thiero family. That being said, the sense was that Thiero would look away from Kentucky and Calipari once he initially put his name into the portal. However, his familiarity with playing in Calipari’s system and a desire to reach the NBA (he’s a projected first-round pick in 2025) helped push him to Arkansas.

“(Calipari is) known for putting guys in the NBA that also stay in the NBA and coach Kenny Payne, who is now with him again, was also there for some of those years,” Thiero said, per ESPN. “After already playing for him and developing after two years, I feel that he knows my game and will put me in the right position to succeed and achieve my goals.”

Thiero was an under-the-radar prospect out of high school as a low-end three-star recruit. But a significant growth spurt going into college saw his potential skyrocket. Thiero played limited minutes as a freshman at UK in 2022-23 (2.3 PPG in 9.5 MPG) before taking a leap in the offseason. He then started 19 of 25 games this past season despite dealing with various nagging injuries.

At Arkansas, Thiero will join his former Kentucky teammate, Zvonimir Ivisic, in Fayetteville, along with a trio of incoming freshmen who were previously committed to the Wildcats: Boogie Fland, Billy Richmond, and Karter Knox.