Trent Noah went out like a legend, even if he came up one win short of that state chip. The South Carolina signee closed his high school career as one of the coldest scorers Kentucky’s ever seen. Noah and his Harlan County squad put the whole state on notice, making it to the KHSAA Sweet 16 Final—the first Eastern Kentucky team to do it since 2011—before falling 67-58 to Lyon County under the bright lights at Rupp Arena.
And let’s talk about Trent’s Sweet 16 run: man was on a mission. Noah dropped a total of 129 points across four games, setting a new Sweet 16 record with 19 three-pointers, breaking the mark set by Tennessee legend Chris Lofton. In the finals, he poured in 17 points with 9 boards and 3 dimes. But that’s just part of the story.
First round? Dude dropped 35 points and snatched 10 boards. Second round? Went nuclear with 48 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 triples, shooting 70% from deep. Final Four? 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 16-for-18 from the stripe. This man was putting on a clinic every single game.
When the dust settled, Noah’s 129 points over the tournament ranked fourth all-time in Sweet 16 history, and his 48-point explosion in Game 2 tied for the fourth-highest single-game total ever. Oh, and let’s not forget his 3,707 career points, fifth-most in KHSAA history.
At 6’6” and 200 pounds, Noah was a walking mismatch for defenses. Averaging 26.5 points and 12.8 boards as a junior, he up’d his game as a senior and dropped almost 30 points a night, and proved night after night why South Carolina signed him, knowing they were getting a certified bucket getter who can light it up from anywhere. Trent Noah could’ve easily been a solid player for the Gamecocks, but his story took a turn when Coach John Calipari was replaced by Mark Pope. Trent decided to stay at home and opted to play ball instead for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Though seeing limited minutes in the early part in his freshman season, Trent has come off the bench and contributed for the Cats, and Coach Mark Pope has raved about his ability and work ethic.
