Kentucky’s big get shared an interesting detail about his recruitment.
Kentucky basketball recently flipped one of the top in-state prospects for the 2024 recruiting class in its favor as Baxter (Ky.) Harlan County Top150 small forward Trent Noah signed with the Wildcats. The three-star prospect was granted a release from South Carolina shortly before committing to Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope.
It was an unusual path to Kentucky for the in-state prospect, but one that was not an option prior to former head coach John Calipari leaving for the same position at Arkansas in early April. Despite being the No. 2 prospect in Kentucky for the 2024 class, Noah revealed he never spoke to Calipari or prior coaches.
“I never had any conversation with the previous staff,” Noah said during a recent interview on BBN Tonight. “Whenever the (coaching) changes happened, they began to recruit me. I’m just grateful that it all worked out.”
Noah produced an impressive high school basketball career at Baxter (Ky.) Harlan County, finishing with 3,707 points, which is fifth-most in KHSAA history. The all-state selection averaged 29.9 points per game as a senior while averaging 10.4 rebounds per game. He led Harlan County to the KHSAA State Championship Game where it fell to Lyon County.
Noah is one of just two high school recruits Kentucky signed in the 2024 class. He joins fellow in-state prospect and four-star Eddyville (Ky.) Lyon County point guard Travis Perry, who was already committed to the Wildcats while Calipari was still the head coach.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Noah said. “I remember as a kid I was in this same building going to the basketball camps and wanting to meet all the players. It’s awesome that it came full-circle. To say it’s a dream come true is really an understatement. … Growing up, being from Kentucky, a Kentucky kid, everybody wants to go to the University of Kentucky and put on that Kentucky jersey. And there’s really a lot of pride that comes with that too. Just a realization that I’ll be doing it this is where I’m going to school is awesome.”
Noah ranks as the No. 108 overall prospect and No. 24 small forward nationally in the 2024 class. He held additional known offers from Butler, California, Dayton, Indiana State, Seton Hall, Stanford, UCF and others. Noah initially committed to South Carolina in October 2023 before signing with the Gamecocks in November 2023.
“Trent Noah is one of the elite shooters in this class,” Pope said, via press release. “He is a tough, hard-nosed player with a special physicality. As an eastern Kentucky native, Trent will bring a grit, toughness and determination to the program that is representative of this state. We’re looking forward to Trent joining this talented group.”
Kentucky has eight incoming transfers as part of its 2024 recruiting class under Pope. The Wildcats rank fifth nationally in the transfer portal team rankings.
