I'm fairly convinced that Trent Noah could literally never shoot the ball and the Big Blue Nation would cheer every time he dribbles. Kentucky fans just love their hometown guys and Noah, especially once he was tagged with the 'Mountain Mamba' alias, became an especial favorite. Folks love No. 9.
But heading into his junior season, Noah may have momentum to become more than a fan favorite. After showing flashes of something more in his first two seasons at Rupp Arena, five-star transfer Milan Momcilovic dubbed him the best player in Kentucky's summer practice.
The best player. That's a quote.
Milan Momcilovic on who has been the surprise player in summer workouts...
— Keith Taylor (@keithtaylor21) July 2, 2026
"I think Trent (Noah), because I didn't watch a whole lot of Kentucky last year, watched a little bit, so I saw him play a little bit here and there, but you know, coming into summer, I think he's been…
Per Keith Taylor on X, Momcilovic went to Noah when asked about the surprise player this summer: "I didn't watch a whole lot of Kentucky last year... but you know, coming into summer, I think he's been the best player."
"Coach [Pope] showed a slide of like points per possession, and he's No. 1 by a long shot," Momcilovic continued, "so I think he kind of just honestly like looking at him and learning from him a little bit... he's a veteran in this program, he knows what to do. I think just watching that and seeing that, because he's a shooter too, is cool."
The nation's best three-point shooter is taking notes from Noah right now. Maybe our guy really is about to break through the ceiling.
Noah is Primed for a Breakthrough
In his first season at Kentucky, which coincided with Mark Pope's first go also, Noah avearaged a steady 11 minutes per contest, spelling injured scorers and occasionally flashing his ability to get hot from range.
This past season, his role was almost identical, if not a little decreased. Noah scored three points per game, nabbing 2.3 rebounds to go with them, replicating his 33.3% three-point percantage in a half-minute less on average than he played in 2024-25.
Those metrics don't suggest any kind of incoming leap, far from it.
Yet Momcilovic isn't the only one singing his praises ahead of year three. Coach Pope himself chimed in to laud Noah in a similar way in an interview with Jon Rothstein.
Coach Pope Chimes In
“Probably the guy that’s getting talked about the least that is showing out right now is Trent Noah,” Pope said. “He is physical, and he can really shoot it... if shots can be manufactured for him, he’s going to make them all it feels like.”
So, at the end of the day, it's about getting Noah clean looks. I'm not completely sure if he comfortably falls into Kentucky's bench rotation as it currently stands (especially at his position), but that's what just about everybody said about him in the last two years, too.
Noah simply has a tendency to find his way onto the floor, and now more than ever, he appears ready to make the leap that Kentucky fans have long been waiting for.
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