‘I could write a book about it.’ UK basketball freshmen reflect on first college seasons
Kentucky basketball’s losing locker room scene on Friday night following an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 defeat to Tennessee was complex.
The Wildcats were somber, but soulful. Reflective, but forward thinking.
No player group epitomized this dichotomy more than Kentucky’s three freshmen who just had their first college basketball seasons end at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Of the trio, it was 6-foot-5 forward Trent Noah — a Harlan County native — who most profoundly put the moment into perspective.
“The time that we just sat there in our sweaty clothes (after practice) just joking around, we’d probably have days on end. If we would have went straight and showered, we would’ve had 100 hours back,” Noah said Friday. “Those were some of the best memories that we’ll make. It’ll definitely be remembered.”
Each of Noah and first-year guards Collin Chandler and Travis Perry had moments this season of being integral pieces to Mark Pope’s first UK squad, a group that reached the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2019.
Noah — who planned to play college basketball at South Carolina prior to Kentucky’s coaching shakeup last offseason — showed a knack this season for rebounding and timely offensive production. After rarely seeing the court in nonconference play, Noah’s first college season will best be remembered for hitting a trio of 3-pointers in a Feb. 11 home win against Tennessee and for the six rebounds he grabbed against Oklahoma in an SEC Tournament win.
He also hit a key 3-pointer against Troy in UK’s NCAA Tournament opener, which sparked Kentucky’s separating run in that game.
“Kentucky basketball, it’s special and it’s sacred. It’s the Mecca of college basketball, so to be able to experience it for year one is incredible,” Noah said. “… I just can’t wait to get back to work and just try to give the state of Kentucky what we want, and that’s hanging a banner. We came up short and anything other than a banner is a letdown for sure.”
Perry — a 6-foot-1 guard from Lyon County who was the only member of UK’s 2024 recruiting class under John Calipari to stick with the Wildcats and play for Pope — got major playing opportunities this season as a result of injuries sustained by Kentucky’s other guards.
Over a three-game stretch from Feb. 15-22, Perry averaged 27.3 minutes per game. He played a season-high 30 minutes in Kentucky’s blowout loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Perry started four games for UK this season and was the only freshman to appear in a starting lineup for the Wildcats during Pope’s first season as coach.
“Whenever you get this opportunity, you don’t take it lightly to come play with Kentucky across your chest,” said Perry, who didn’t play in Kentucky’s final two NCAA Tournament games. “I’m just really blessed, really proud to be able to be part of a group that all understood that and took that very seriously.”
By the end of the season, Chandler emerged as Kentucky’s most relied-on freshman. A 6-foot-5 guard who was previously a Pope recruit at BYU, Chandler was the first player last offseason to commit to play for the coach in Lexington.
It took some time for Chandler — who delayed the start of his college career to complete a two-year mission overseas — to regain his on-court form. Once he did, Chandler proved he belonged in high-major college basketball.
Over the eight games Kentucky played in March spanning the regular season, SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, Chandler averaged 16.4 minutes. This included Chandler’s best offensive game of the season, when he scored 11 points, made three 3-pointers and dished out four assists in a home win against LSU on March 4.
Chandler’s lone basket in UK’s Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer before halftime.
Chandler, Noah and Perry are expected to be leaders for Kentucky
Change will be afoot again with Pope’s program this offseason. Seven players from this season’s UK team are expected to either be out of NCAA eligibility or not part of Kentucky’s plans for next season.
Those players are Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams.
This means up to five Wildcats could be returnees for Pope’s second UK team in the 2025-26 season. Chandler, Noah and Perry represent the majority of this group.
“It’s just been day after day of learning from, trying to get everything I could out of, these guys that I’ve been put around,” Chandler said. “It’s changed the person that I am. I’m grateful for the situation that I was put in this year.”
“I could write a book about it, to be honest. There’s so many little things,” Noah said when asked what he learned this season. “Even off the basketball court, these people are great humans. That’s kind of the biggest thing. To be able to make connections and lifelong friendships with these people, that’s kind of the beauty of it.”
It’s important to note that Chandler, Noah and Perry all gave indications during Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament run that they will be back with the Cats next season as sophomores.
On Friday night, all three players praised the veteran leadership found on the 2024-25 Wildcats. To a man, they said this helped establish a foundation for what future Kentucky teams should strive to be.
“They’ve shown us everything we need to know about how to lead, how to approach the game the right way,” Perry said.
“We realize it’s our job to continue to keep their DNA in this program,” Chandler added. “We’re ready to pass that on and bring that on to the next guys that are coming.”
