'Why aren’t you playing?': Kentucky guard Adou Thiero's absence continues
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Adou Thiero missed his seventh straight game Tuesday in Kentucky's 79-62 loss at South Carolina. It's been more than a month since the last time he took the floor for the Wildcats: Thiero had seven points in 13 minutes off the bench in the team's 95-76 road victory over Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 21.
Kentucky's official game notes list Thiero's monthlong absence as an injury; specifically, "general soreness."
He participated in Monday's practice and went through Tuesday's pregame warmups.
The situation has bewildered coach John Calipari.
"Watching him, I've got to say, 'Well, why aren’t you playing?'" Calipari said during a pregame radio interview Tuesday. “Like, he’s dunking balls and doing stuff.
"(He says), 'Well, I’m a little bit hurt.' Some of these guys start playing really well? You’d better get back here and fight.'"
Thiero started eight of UK's first nine games this season; he missed Game 2 versus Texas A&M-Commerce with a concussion. He had a breakout performance in an 89-84 loss to then-No. 1 Kansas at the Champions Classic in Chicago on Nov. 14, setting single-game career highs in points (16) and rebounds (13).
After freshman 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw was cleared to play after a lingering foot injury, however, Thiero began coming off the bench. His first appearance as a reserve came Dec. 9 versus Penn. He then came off the bench in Kentucky's next two outings (North Carolina and Louisville), with a personal-best four blocks in the CBS Sports Classic triumph over the Tar Heels in Atlanta on Dec. 16.
He hasn't played since.
247Sports was the only major recruiting service that gave him a star rating, ranking him a three-star and the No. 138 player overall, No. 3 in Pennsylvania, in the 2022 cycle. He also had offers from Indiana, Maryland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Thiero was only the third high school prospect with a three-star rating to sign with the Wildcats since Calipari took over prior to the 2009-10 season. The previous two, Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis, were Kentucky natives. The Wildcats then added two more three-star signees in the 2023 class (Jordan Burks and Joey Hart).
Thiero's father, Almamy Thiero, played at Memphis (2002-06) during Calipari's time as coach.
Thiero played sparingly last season, appearing in 20 games off the bench, averaging 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per outing. He impressed early, with a standout showing in the preseason Blue-White scrimmage in Pikeville, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out six assists and notching three steals. But stuck behind other guards in the rotation (fellow freshman Cason Wallace and seniors Sahvir Wheeler and Antonio Reeves) once the 2022-23 season tipped off, Thiero only took the floor in a reserve role.
He saved his best for last, though, posting what were then career highs in points (seven), assists (two) and minutes (24) while tying a personal best for rebounds (five) in a victory at Arkansas in UK's regular-season finale.
After the season concluded with a loss to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Thiero went home to Pennsylvania. Knowing the country's top-ranked recruiting class was on its way to Lexington, he admits he considered entering the transfer portal.
"But then I realized, if I transfer, it looks like I'm scared of the freshmen coming in," he told The Courier Journal at the team's media day Oct. 25. "Like I'm quitting and giving up on myself. Thinking like, 'I'm not good enough to be here.'
"So I took it upon myself and said, 'No, I'm gonna stay. I'm going to improve as a player and go and play as hard as I can every game.'"
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Adou Thiero: Kentucky sophomore misses another SEC basketball game
