From @jacksoncollier
One of the most worn-out cliches in life is that everyone runs their own race, a short quip about individuality and progress. Arkansas junior wing Adou Thiero seems to be hitting his stride in his race now in his third year of college basketball, as he's outpacing his previous two seasons by a significant margin.
The Kentucky transfer is averaging 17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game through three contests with the Razorbacks, which doubles his point average from a season ago so far. Thiero has scored double-digit points twice, including a 24-point performance against Baylor on Saturday and 19-point performance against Troy on Wednesday.
In his previous two seasons, Thiero scored in double figures just five times, with 16 points being his career-high before this season. His play has given a struggling Arkansas offense a much-needed boost, and head coach John Calipari has taken notice of Thiero's play.
"Let me say… I probably shouldn’t say it but I will… if there are 10 better players in the country than Adou, I need you to show them to me," Calipari said. "Who are they? Like, he’s a unicorn physically, now. You don’t have guys like him that are good enough with the ball."
Thiero also earned high praise from teammate Zvonimir Ivisic, who had a career performance Wednesday night.
"Adou, I don’t think there’s another player like Adou," Ivisic said. "He’s just special. The way he moves, the way he runs. His motor, his will, it’s just amazing."
Perhaps the biggest areas of growth for Thiero have been his aggressiveness and willingness to take shots on the perimeter. He's shooting 3.0 threes a game, up from 0.9 attempts last season, while also shooting a higher percentage at 33.3%. He has also looked much more comfortable running the floor both with and without the ball, and has even thrived in isolation situations in the halfcourt offense.
Coming into the season, many analysts, myself included, pegged Thiero as the X-factor for this basketball season, but I don't think many expected this level of play from the third-year performer. If he can keep this level of play up - playing like a unicorn - the team as a whole will benefit, and Thiero will have himself positioned to be a lottery draft pick in the spring.
Up next, the Razorbacks will host the Pacific Tigers out of the West Coast Conference at Bud Walton Arena on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
One of the most worn-out cliches in life is that everyone runs their own race, a short quip about individuality and progress. Arkansas junior wing Adou Thiero seems to be hitting his stride in his race now in his third year of college basketball, as he's outpacing his previous two seasons by a significant margin.
The Kentucky transfer is averaging 17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game through three contests with the Razorbacks, which doubles his point average from a season ago so far. Thiero has scored double-digit points twice, including a 24-point performance against Baylor on Saturday and 19-point performance against Troy on Wednesday.
In his previous two seasons, Thiero scored in double figures just five times, with 16 points being his career-high before this season. His play has given a struggling Arkansas offense a much-needed boost, and head coach John Calipari has taken notice of Thiero's play.
"Let me say… I probably shouldn’t say it but I will… if there are 10 better players in the country than Adou, I need you to show them to me," Calipari said. "Who are they? Like, he’s a unicorn physically, now. You don’t have guys like him that are good enough with the ball."
Thiero also earned high praise from teammate Zvonimir Ivisic, who had a career performance Wednesday night.
"Adou, I don’t think there’s another player like Adou," Ivisic said. "He’s just special. The way he moves, the way he runs. His motor, his will, it’s just amazing."
Perhaps the biggest areas of growth for Thiero have been his aggressiveness and willingness to take shots on the perimeter. He's shooting 3.0 threes a game, up from 0.9 attempts last season, while also shooting a higher percentage at 33.3%. He has also looked much more comfortable running the floor both with and without the ball, and has even thrived in isolation situations in the halfcourt offense.
Coming into the season, many analysts, myself included, pegged Thiero as the X-factor for this basketball season, but I don't think many expected this level of play from the third-year performer. If he can keep this level of play up - playing like a unicorn - the team as a whole will benefit, and Thiero will have himself positioned to be a lottery draft pick in the spring.
Up next, the Razorbacks will host the Pacific Tigers out of the West Coast Conference at Bud Walton Arena on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
