Inside The Panthers

Pitt Likely Missing Out on Kentucky Transfer

The Pitt Panthers have a transfer target that is predicted to choose another school.

Dominic Campbell

Mar 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Adou Thiero (3) receives the ball during
Mar 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Adou Thiero (3) receives the ball during / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have heavily recruited Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero, but recently, another team has come into try and win the sweepstakes for the valued forward.

Thiero made a visit to Arkansas, posting it on his Instagram story with the location as Fayetteville, Arkansas, the location for Arkansas basketball, also with 'Hogs' and two logos of the their mascot in the picture as well.

Thiero chose to transfer from Kentucky after the end of this past season. His head coach, John Calipari, is now the head coach of Arkansas and is vying to bring back the prized forward to Fayetteville. Arkansas is in Thiero's top five schools, along with Pitt, North Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana.

He not only played for Calipari, but so too did his father, Almany Thiero, when Calipari was head coach at Memphis.

Thiero, who ranked as a four-star in the Class of 2022, committed to Kentucky to join head coach Calipari, who is from Western Pennsylvania himself. 

He averaged 9.5 minutes, 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game over 20 appearances as a freshman. Thiero improved this past season as a sophomore, appearing in 25 games, starting 19 and averaging 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, respectively, while shooting 49.2% from the field and 80.0% from the foul line.

Jamie Shaw of On3 sees this most recent visit for Thiero as incredibly crucial for Thiero for a number of reasons, including previously playing for Calipari and the familial and local connection.

According to his sources, Shaw is close to placing an 'RPM' (Recruitment Prediction Machine) for Thiero to Arkansas. He wrote that his most recent visit placed the Razorbacks at the top of the list, with momentum shifting their way.

Thiero played high school basketball for Quaker Valley in Leetsdale, Pa., about 18 miles northwest of Pitt's campus on the Ohio river. 

He excelled throughout high school, but especially as a senior in 2022, where he scored 23.3 points, grabbed 10.3 rebounds, dished out 5.9 assists, forced 3.9 steals and made 2.3 blocks per game, respectively, en route to a WPIAL Class 4A Championship and finishing runners-up in the PIAA Playoffs.

He did visit Pitt this past weekend, giving fans hope that the hometown star would come back to play for the program, but according to Shaw, it looks like Pitt will miss out on Thiero again.

Pitt lost a few of their forwards from last season, as First Team All-ACC star Blake Hinson graduated and both Federiko Federiko and Will Jeffress entered the transfer portal.

They did land Florida State transfer Cameron Corhen and will bring in freshman Amdy Ndiaye, as well as a heathly return for Papa Amadou Kante, who suffered a season-ending injury prior to last season and redshirted. 

Juniors Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham, redshirt senior Zack Austin and redshirt freshman Marlon Barnes Jr. fill out the scholarship forwards on the Panthers roster.

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Dominic Campbell

DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.