Adou Thiero inks merchandise deal following Kentucky commitment

Going into March, 6-foot-5 senior guard Adou Thiero held offers from only Duquesne and UC Santa Barbara. Two months later, he’s a Kentucky basketball signee with his own merchandise deal.

The four-star guard announced his commitment to Kentucky this past weekend, choosing UK over Cincinnati, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Xavier, among others. He joined five-star signees Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston in UK’s 2022 recruiting class.

Less than a week later, Thiero has inked his first NIL deal, a merchandise line featuring t-shirts, hoodies, shorts and pants, among other items. The newest Wildcat’s logo features the photo he took wearing a Kentucky jersey on his official visit to Lexington with his initials.

Prices range from $30 to $45, with a full run of colors and sizes for all items in stock.

You can purchase the newest Wildcat’s merchandise here.

Thiero averaged 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior at Quaker Valley, leading his team to the Pennsylvania Class 4A title game.

“I am excited to have Adou join our program. He is a great kid who comes from a terrific family,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “Adou is a winner who fought through some adversity last summer and then led his team to the state championship game. Much like Dom (Hawkins) and Derek (Willis), Adou understands the grind and process of development here.

“He knows nothing will be easy, but he has great size and has the makeup of the kind of guard who excels here, someone who can play on the ball or off and can finish at the rim in a variety of ways. I can’t wait to coach him and help him reach his goals.”

Thiero finished his career with 1,624 career points, good for third-most in Quaker Valley history. He earned 2022 TribLive HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors to close out his time in high school.

Now, the two-way threat is bringing his talents to Lexington, a dream come true for the legacy recruit.

“Ever since I went to my first Kentucky men’s basketball camp I’ve wanted to go to Kentucky,” Thiero said. “My whole life I’ve been working to get here and when I got this opportunity, I knew I was going to take it because I just liked how Coach Cal is able to develop guys into pro players. He has always been great to his players and my dad played for him, so he had great things to say about him. I know Coach Cal and the staff will be able to help me get to where I want to be.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait to get on campus and work to improve my game and help make this team better.”