Quaker Valley graduate Adou Thiero, who emerged as a double-digit scorer for Arkansas, has declared for the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior forward averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this winter for the Razorbacks. Thiero played his first two college seasons at Kentucky before following coach John Calipari to Arkansas.
Thiero announced his decision to enter the draft on social media Tuesday.
The NBA Draft is June 25-26. A recent mock draft by Sports Illustrated projected Thiero as a second-round pick, 44th overall.
Thiero played 27 games this season with 26 starts. A hyperextended knee forced him to miss Arkansas’ first two NCAA Tournament games. He was limited to five minutes and one point in the team’s Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech.
A Yahoo.com draft analysis credited Thiero as a “bulldozer on his drives to the basket,” and noted that his size and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions. However, it noted he wasn’t a perimeter shooter in his college career, making only 28.8% of 3-point shots with an average of one attempt per game.
As a sophomore at Kentucky, Thiero averaged 7.2 points in 25 games with 19 starts. As a freshman, he averaged 2.3 points in 20 games, all off the bench.
In high school, Thiero led Quaker Valley to a WPIAL Class 4A title in the 2021-22 season and was named the TribLive HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He averaged 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior.
