Adou Thiero, a 6’5 combo guard from Pennsylvania in the class of 2022, has seemingly come out of nowhere. Literally, if you click this link to his 24/7 Sports recruiting profile, there is little to nothing there about him.
However, in the past few months, Thiero has grown (literally) and played his way into interest from Pitt, Indiana, Marquette, Ohio State, and now the Kentucky Wildcats in just the last few months.
Back to the growing part, Thiero has grown 6 inches to 6’5 (6’6 depending on who you ask) in just the past year and is still growing. Combine that with athleticism, and that is a combo that John Calipari seems to like.
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You want an example of Adou Thiero's athletic ability? Check out him blocking a shot by Neumann-Goretti in tonight's state championship.
On Thursday, Calipari, Orlando Antigua, and Chin Coleman took a visit to Pennsylvania and watched Thiero as he recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the Pennsylvania 4A state title game.
Cal followed up with an in-home visit today, where he offered Thiero a scholarship. Thiero’s other offers as of today, include only Indiana, UC Santa Barbara, and Duquesne.
As mentioned before, there is not much that you can find on the kid with a google search. However, George Michalowski of Pittsburgh Sports Now, has had the privilege to watch Adou in action, and here is what he had to say.
I have watched Adou three times over the past few weeks. He is 6’5, maybe 6’6. Very strong lower half and getting stronger up top. He has grown 6+ inches in the past year or two and has filled out very well.
He plays a very downhill game. Likes to drive and be as physical as possible. Plays slow and is very smart in the halfcourt, but when he gets out in transition he is not slowing down (sometimes a bit out of control, but rarely). Plays point guard for his HS team. Super acrobatic with his finishes, and gets to the free throw line whenever he wants. He’s got a pretty good jumper, and it’s gotten better each time I have seen him play. He has been playing through a broken growth plate in his hand for the past few weeks so it’s been hard for me to judge. He has plus vision. I’d say the only times that I’ve seen him out of control have been in transition. But he is far and away the best player on his team and has had to carry them at times, so every time he attacks like that, it’s been necessary.
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Defensively he is the best shot blocking guard I have seen in quite some time. He is very long and has a knack for the ball. Rebounds at a high rate as well.
Off the court, he’s a super humble, lively guy. He is a kid. He is loving all of this process and is a great leader on the court. He plays alongside an undersized forward Markus Frank who is an excellent scorer, and Adou knows when to give Frank the ball/isn’t afraid to give it up at all. He is an unselfish player but knows when and when not to take over.
He is a super super tough competitor and loves the game.
In addition to his basketball ability, Adou has great genes. His father, Almamy Thiero, played for Calipari in his early days at Memphis and his mother is 6-3 and is a former WNBA draft pick.
Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.
As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.
Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.
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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market.
Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr.
His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance.
With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department.
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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons?
There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats.
In a shocking, late at night turn of events, four-star freshman Acaden Lewis has decommitted from Kentucky.
Lewis, a 6’3” point guard out of Washington, D.C. first committed to the blue and white in November of last year, following an in-person visit with Mark Pope in his hometown.
Since then, he’s made multiple appearances in Rupp Arena, been featured in photo shoots with his fellow incoming recruits, and spoken on multiple occasions about his excitement to join the team for the 2025-26’ season.
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To say this development is surprising would be a serious understatement.
Lewis released a statement following the announcement, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I have to do what’s best for my future,” he said. “Thank you to Coach Pope and the whole Kentucky staff for all they’ve done for me so far.”
While the loss of Lewis is certainly disappointing, there is still much to look forward to next season for Kentucky, who maintain one of the highest rated transfer classes in the nation – and it likely isn’t finished.
To that point, if any reason can be derived immediately for Lewis’ decommitment, it may be found in the same place that Mark Pope and staff will be going to look for answers: the transfer portal.
If the Quaintance name sounds familiar, it should. He was originally committed to play for the Cats out of high school last season as a five-star recruit. While he was interested in staying at Kentucky following John Calipari’s departure, even meeting with Mark Pope, he elected to play for Arizona State.
In his one season with the Sun Devils, Quaintance averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG, and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive honors.
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The one concern for Quaintance is that he had surgery to repair a torn ACL, which could keep him out for the entire offseason and potentially into the season. That said, the expectation for a return is September, and at just 17 years old, there is so much untapped potential.