Kentucky A 7-foot-5 prospect ranked land as commitment from Illinois to Wildcats….
Trent Noah has always followed the Kentucky men’s basketball team, but wasn’t even sure if he would get a chance to live out his dream of playing for the Wildcats.
The former Harlan County standout originally committed to play at South Carolina, but shifted gears and re-opened his commitment after Mark Pope was hired as coach of the Wildcats last spring.
“Growing up a lifelong Kentucky fan and now being at the University of Kentucky, it’s just a dream come true,” he said. “I’m super happy where I’m at. God’s plan is greater than mine. It’s awesome.”
He admitted the recruiting process was stressful at times, but is happy the college route changed from Columbia to Lexington at just the right time.
“That’s what the recruitment process is just all along,” he said. “You never know where you’re going to go until you’re there. I’m just thankful where I’m at now and super grateful.”
Throughout summer workouts, Noah has gotten adjusted to the pace of the game and the level of talent on the team’s roster. He has been impressed with the roster Pope assembled in a short period of time.
“The high school game and the college game is completely different, learning a lot of new, terminology and stuff like that, playing with amazing players — I mean super, super, veteran guys,” he said. “I think that’s super, super good because I get to learn from them and, just get to pick their brains, because they’ve been through it and, they know what’s going on. Just getting to learn from them and our exceptional coaching staff. It’s been it’s been really good. It just makes me and everybody around us better.”
Noah added the veterans on the team are “the real deal” and he relies on BYU transfer Jaxson Robinson for guidance on the court.
“He’s been through coach Pope’s offense, so he knows what’s going on,” Noah said. “He helps me and the other guys, but we we all help each other out, lean on each other, and that just makes all us all better.”
Noah added the practice sessions have been intense, but doesn’t mind the competitive nature of the workouts.
“This is what I want,” he said. “I get to play against the best players in the country and getting to compete against them. They’ve been through it and they’ve had my experiences.”
Noah also has enjoyed getting to know classmate and Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry on more of a personal level, which he says, is beneficial for both players.
Noah also has enjoyed getting to know classmate and Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry on more of a personal level, which he says, is beneficial for both players.
“It’s awesome — getting to know him a lot better,” he said. “I get to live with him and see him work every day. He’s an exceptional friend of mine. He’s super hard working and we always get in the gym together.”
That relationship, Noah said, will help carry the two players through their freshman season.
“We struggle, we go through the same struggles together and then get to talk to each other, pick each other up,” he said. “It’s a really good situation.”
