Another Kentucky basketball player says he’ll be back next season
Former Harlan County basketball star Trent Noah will return to the Kentucky Wildcats for his sophomore season.
Noah posted a photo on social media with the caption “still chasing 9,” a reference to the program’s pursuit of a ninth national championship. The post also included a graphic of him in his UK jersey with the message “I’m back.”
Noah, who came to Lexington last spring billed as the 12th man on Mark Pope’s first UK basketball roster, emerged as a fan favorite in his freshman season with the Wildcats, earning the nickname “Mountain Mamba” — a nod to late NBA star Kobe Bryant, as well as Noah’s own southeastern Kentucky roots — for his clutch shooting efforts.
Of the six players from UK’s 2024-25 roster eligible to return next season, three have now confirmed their intentions to remain Wildcats. Noah’s announcement followed those by fellow freshman Collin Chandler and sophomore Brandon Garrison.
Kerr Kriisa transferred to Cincinnati. Freshman Travis Perry has not made a public statement that he will be back, but he is also expected to return for the 2025-26 season. Otega Oweh plans to go through the NBA draft process but remains eligible to continue his career at Kentucky.
Noah averaged just 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11.1 minutes over 24 appearances — playing a total of only four minutes during one stretch from mid-December to late January — but Noah came up big for the Wildcats in some key moments during conference play.
The Kentucky native hit a 3-pointer in UK’s 78-73 upset victory over Tennessee in Knoxville — his first 3 in a month — and then scored a career-high 11 points (with three more 3-pointers) in the Wildcats’ win over the Vols in Rupp Arena two weeks later.
Noah, who had signed with South Carolina before backing out of that commitment after Pope got the UK job last April, also hit a 3-pointer in the first half of Kentucky’s eventual 76-57 win over Troy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a shot that kick-started the Cats’ previously plodding offense and sent them on their way to a victory.
It was Pope’s first March Madness win as a head coach.
“I thought one of the biggest plays of the game was Trent’s first 3. It really mattered,” Pope said after that game. “... I thought he had a huge impact.”
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The UK coaching staff and Noah’s teammates have also been complimentary of the freshman’s motor and ability to rebound in traffic for a player of his size — he’s listed as a 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward — and Pope praised Noah’s progression as a defender in his final weekly radio show of the 2024-25 season.
Noah’s return for a sophomore year with the Cats is no surprise. In UK’s locker room after the team’s season-ending loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, he teased that he would be back.
“To have the privilege to even put the jersey on — it’s incredible,” he 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.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 4:20 PM.
