In a new age of college basketball, Trent Noah is something of a throwback.
The former Harlan County all-stater had an interesting freshman season at Kentucky, playing in 24 of the Wildcats’ 36 games and averaging 11 minutes of action as a key reserve off Mark Pope’s bench.
And while his modest 2.7 scoring average had to be a shock to the system for a player who posted a gaudy 29.9 points per game as a prep senior, Noah did not ever consider the transfer portal. Many of his peers have, including former Kentucky “Mr. Basketball” and UK roommate Travis Perry, who departed Lexington for Ole Miss this spring.
Instead, Noah is playing the long game at his dream school.
“This is the greatest place on Earth, and I love coach Pope’s vision for me,” Noah said Monday at the Craft Center during the Wildcats’ summer Q&A sessions.
“It’s kinda still surreal to me that I get to wake up and put on Kentucky (gear). It’s crazy, growing up watching it. I’ve been here 365 days, and it still feels like the very first time I put it on. It’s special. It’s like magic.”
That’s not to say there were not moments when Noah wondered if he was in the right place.
“It was definitely a rude awakening coming in from high school,” Noah said of his early workouts with the Wildcats. “And then I was guarding Otega (Oweh) in the summer, and I would just get fried. But it definitely made me grow up faster. Me and coach Pope were talking about that. Getting exposed early made me pick things up at a quicker rate.”
Noah adjusted well enough to become a trusted option off the UK bench. He even played a key role in two of the Cats’ biggest wins of the season, scoring five points in a 78-73 upset of Tennessee in Knoxville and later posting 11 points in a 75-64 victory over the Vols in the rematch at Rupp Arena.
His offensive skillset has always given the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Noah a chance to help the Cats in spot play off the bench, but the key to him playing even more minutes lies on the defensive end of the floor.
“The SEC is a monster,” Noah said. “You go in, and you’re playing big, athletic players.”
With a year of experience under his belt, Noah realized he had to transform his body. Pope suggested in postseason exit interviews that Noah would be able to “own his space” on the court and reach his full potential by adding up to 18 pounds of muscle.
“Hopefully, I’m a little stronger,” Noah said. “… Getting stronger was one of the big emphases. Looking to improve my game on both ends of the floor.”
Pope thinks Noah can turn defense from a liability to an asset by combining his length and intelligence.
“He thinks I could be a really good steals guy,” said Noah, who had just three steals as a freshman. “He talks about the defensive IQ and defensive ability kinda being two different things. I have a really good defensive IQ. If I can put them together, he sees a strong defender in me.”
Offensively, the UK staff is stressing ball-handling so that Noah can take greater advantage of his perimeter shooting threat. “Using my shot to put the ball on the deck and get in the lane and create for others,” he said.
No matter how his sophomore season unfolds, he is still thinking long-term.
“I would just say to try and keep level-headed, not to get too high or too low,” Noah said. “There will be nights where things aren’t going too well and nights when things are going great, but if you don’t get too high or too low, things will work out well.
“You just have to trust the coach’s plan, the coach’s vision, and you have to trust in God’s plan because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/noah-playing-the-long-game-at-uk