Thursday Headlines: A Dream Come True for Adou Thiero

Thiero has long dreamed of playing for John Calipari. Now he gets to live it out.

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Oct 27, 2022, 6:40am EDT

When Kentucky brought on Adou Thiero, many knew him as the son of Almamy Thiero, who played at Memphis from 2002-2005.

The coach of the Memphis Tigers was, of course, John Calipari and so Adou grew up around Calipari, and wished to one day play for him... just like his dad.

That moment has come, as Thiero is a Kentucky Wildcat and through preseason exhibitions and practices, looks to be ahead of where many thought he would be at this point.

For Thiero, he’s excited to be able to fulfill a childhood dream.

“Ever since I knew what a basketball was, I’ve known who coach Calipari was,” Thiero told Cats Pause. “Growing up, I’ve always wanted to play for him.”

Thiero put on a show in the Blue/White game, scoring 21 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, while finishing the night with six assists.

And Calipari has compared Thiero’s situation to two former Kentucky guards who turned into first-round NBA Draft picks.

“He’s behind some of the other guys, but so was Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). So you can take it like Shai or Immanuel Quickley. And every time you perform, you prove you should be playing, or you don’t,” Calipari told Cats Pause. “Now Adou, like I said, it’s all the other stuff.

Thiero has certainly impressed in the preseason, but it’ll be important to see how he performs when the pressure is on and the games count toward the season record.

So far, he looks to be a great piece, and it’s even cooler that this fulfills a lifelong dream for him.