Rupp Arena held its breath in the first half of Tuesday's opener when sophomore Trent Noah went down with an ankle injury, grimacing in obvious pain. It was the last thing a team already battling the injury bug needed. Noah who drew his first Kentucky start is seen as a key part of this team.
But the real story happened on the sideline, and Mark Pope's hilarious retelling of it reveals everything you need to know about Noah's toughness.
Mark Pope's postgame story on Trent Noah's injury
"One of the assistants came up to me in the I think at the end of the first half, or beginning of the second half and said, 'Trent's good to go.' And I was like that that's the craziest thing I've ever heard," Pope began. "Yeah. Trent's the toughest dude I know. He was in a lot of pain on the floor. He doesn't ever show that." Noah had to be helped up and off the court and was gingerly walking on it leaving in the first half. But after halftime he was seen jumping and cutting on the floor as part of a warm-up.
Still skeptical, Pope went directly to his head athletic trainer, Brandon Wells, for confirmation.
"I went to Brandon Wells, walked down the the sideline... I'm like, 'Brandon, is he ready to go?' And he's like, 'Yeah, we just test him. He cut, he ran. He said he's feeling fine,'" Pope recounted.
Pope's reaction? Disbelief. "And my direct quote was like, 'Well, Trent Noah is a liar.' I think I yelled it probably louder than I should have. Um he's just such a tough kid."
Pope, showing veteran wisdom, made the call to protect the player from himself. "I'm glad we were able to get through the game and not have to put him back in. We got to get him healthy because he's an important part of this team," he said. The incident is a perfect example of the team first culture Pope is building, personified by a sophomore who would rather lie about his pain than sit on the bench.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion