Arkansas Forward Flashed Great Promise in Latest Exhibition

Calipari pleased with transfer's performance, unhappy with others and inability to close

Razorbacks coach John Calipari knows his first Arkansas team still has a lot of hard work ahead to become the well-oiled unit he envisions. From the outset, the Hall of Fame coach has said it'll be at least January before fans should expect the kind of consistent performance they all want. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Adou Thiero was one of the few bright spots for Arkansas' basketball team in Friday's 66-65 exhibition loss to TCU in Dickies Arena just a few miles from the Horned Frogs' campus.

Coach John Calipari was glad to see the 6-8 junior forward come alive after he'd scored just two points In the 85-69 exhibition win against No. 1 Kansas seven days earlier.

Calipari was unhappy with his team's inability to close the deal after leading TCU by 13 points late in the third quarter but knows he's relying on a couple of key freshmen and mostly has assembled a group of players still learning how to play together.

As for Thiero -- pronounced ah-DO thEE-row, rhyming with hero -- Calipari said he made a concerted effort to get the athletic forward more involved. Against Kansas, he started and played 17 minutes but took only one shot (and made it) to go with five defensive rebounds and a steal.

He came alive against the Horned Frogs while leading the Hogs with 20 points. He added eight rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and a steal. That's the kind of stat-stuffing performance that should help the Razorbacks win on most nights.

Arkansas Razorbacks junior forward Adou Thiero talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 16. Thiero and senior guard Nelly Davis accompanied coach John Calipari to Media Days. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

"I thought Adou did some good stuff," Calipari said following the game. "We had some guys not play their best." The Hall of Fame coach said they made a point of getting Thiero involved from the outset against TCU.

"Yeah, we did some things for him, to get him to where he can attack more," Calipari said. "The only thing that I said (was), 'Just go by the guy. Quit trying to do this, or fake and go. Just go by the guy; you’re so physical.' He looked good today."

Calipari knows Thiero well, having recruited him to Kentucky from their mutual hometown of Pittsburgh. The 4-star recruit played in 20 games as a freshman but never started while averaging 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.

Adou Thiero (3) dunks during the second half of the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats' first-round game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Thiero and then-Kentucky coach John Calipari were upset by No. 14 seed Oakland (Mich.), 80-76. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

He took a leap forward last season while started 19 of 25 games. He missed eight games due to injury but averaged 7.2 points and 5 boards in 21.4 minutes. He also blocked a shot a game.

Thiero is likely to remain in the starting lineup even when Jonas Aidoo returns from injury. Aidoo is the 6-11 transfer from Tennessee who was All-SEC last season, and made the league's All-SEC Defensive team.

Combine those two physical guys with 7-2 sophomore Zvonimir Ivišić, another Kentucky transfer, and 6-10 senior Trevon Brazile, the only returning Razorbacks, and the Hogs could be imposing in the paint, especially on defense.

Arkansas Razorbacks forwards Zvonimir Ivisic (44) and Trevon Brazile (4) celebrate as Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Biding (40) reacts with a different emotion after a play in the second half at Bud Walton Arena on Oct. 25. No. 16 Arkansas trounced No. 1 Kansas 85-69 in the exhibition game. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Now Calipari just has to get his guards back on track after what he deemed a sub-par performance against TCU. That shouldn't be too difficult, given the physical talent and decision making they displayed against Kansas.

Freshman guard Boogie Fland was second on the team against TCU with 11 points and led with five assists. Sophomore guard D.J. Wagner had six points and two assists but five of the team's 14 turnovers. Brazile led the Hogs with nine rebounds and added six points while Ivišić added eight boards and five points.

Against Kansas, Fland was phenomenal with 22 points, six steals and five assists. Wagner had an economical 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 6-of-8 free throws to go with four rebounds.

Nelly Davis had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting against Kansas but improved against TCU with eight points and seven rebounds while making 2-of-3 from 3-point land.

Johnell Davis (1), a senior transfer for Arkansas, drives to the basket for the Florida Atlantic Owls against the Northwestern Wildcats' Blake Preston (32) in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Davis played in the 2023 Final Four in Houston and scored eight points in 30 minutes as No. 9 seed FAU lost 72-71 in the semifinals to No. 5 seed San Diego St. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"Our guards, not quite as good as they’ve been playing," Calipari said, referring to Wagner and Fland. His comments came just minutes after the Hogs lost to TCU on a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.

The Horned Frogs were under the limit on fouls and had three to give after taking the lead. They kept fouling before Arkansas could get a quality shot and the Hogs were eventually left with only one second on the clock for a 3-point heave.

The Hogs will work on that game-ending situation before it can come up again. Calipari said the coaching staff was "trying to get Boogie to shoot the ball. As soon as he reaches in, shoot it. Make it be a three-point play."

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks to guard D.J. Wagner (21) in the first quarter of the Oct. 25 exhibition game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Bud Walton Arena. Wagner, a sophomore transfer from Kentucky, scored 21 points in that game but only six against TCU while missing both of his free throws and all three 3-point attempts. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Despite his displeasure -- nobody likes to lose, ever -- Calipari displayed a veteran coach's calmness when he said of his players, "They’re not machines and they’re not robots. Now we just learn from this."

They've been working on that already as the season opener is Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena against Lipscomb. Tip will be at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on SEC Network Plus. The Hogs nipped Lipscomb 69-66 last December after leading by 39-31 at halftime.

HOGS FEED:

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