Les Nicholson Photo
The biggest surprise team in the Southeastern Conference this season was South Carolina, which beat Kentucky and led the league most of the season under second-year coach Lamont Paris.
Two of his players were asked at the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh why they seemed to love their coach so much before South Carolina lost in the first round like most SEC teams did.
“Coach Paris, he’s a big jokester. That’s why we call him the People’s Coach because he relates a lot to a lot of people. So just him having that capability to relate to a lot of people and show a different side that you don’t really see probably from a lot of coaches just shows the great person that he is,” B.J. Mack said.
Paris will have a Kentucky connection on his team next year with Harlan County guard Trent Noah, who had 48 points in a state tournament quarterfinal win over Campbell County. Kentucky freshman Reed Sheppard is the only other 13th Region player to have scored more career points than Noah. Noah scored over 1,100 points this season.
In four state tourney games, Noah was 39 of 70 from the field overall and 19 of 34 from 3. Noah scored 129 points in the four games — an average of 32.2 points per game. He also had 39 rebounds to just barely miss averaging a double-double.
State tournament coaches raved about his ability to score and make plays that helped his team reach the championship game.
“With his size and the way he shoots the ball, he is a heck of a player,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “He is a good athlete but is a great player. He can dribble, shoot and pass. He is super versatile.”
Campbell County coach Brent Sowder said he had been coming to the state tournament his whole life and put Noah’s performance up with any he saw from state legends Chris Lofton, Allan Houston or Richie Farmer.
“He became a legend tonight — a Sweet 16 legend,” Sowder said after Noah brought Harlan County back from a 16-point deficit. “That’s something that’s going to stay. We’re going to talk about that.”
Noah had 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in the state title game loss to Lyon.
“I can’t say enough good things about Trent Noah. He is amazing. We have a lot of respect for him,” Lyon coach Ryan Perry said. “We had somebody spying him everywhere he went but Trent is such a good player you can’t take him away. He is so good.”
Noah’s grandfather is Perky Bryant, a former Kentucky player for coach Charlie Bradshaw on the “Thin Thirty” from 1961-63. He was ninth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing in 1962 with 326 yards.
Bryant earned 13 varsity letters at Evarts High School and scored 195 points in his senior season.
8 Responses
Coach CALcified didn’t want him.
These type of players have been snubbed since day 1 when the fraud stepped foot on Kentucky soil and contaminated everything he could – from giving away wins to demeaning fans.
How long before the fraud lovers will wake up… or is there any hope for them!!!
The 2 biggest loser coaches ever at UK snubbed Kentucky HS players and eight did not recruit them or seldom played them if they came to UK. Tubby snubbed the All-American guard who went to TN and the fraud has done the same.
I think this kid is going to be a good one at South Carolina. He made the right choice. He will get much more playing time their than he would at Kentucky. We all know players before the transfer rule that were buried at the end of the bench for most of their careers at Kentucky. When Noah is a sophomore he will be very good. He will get some minutes his freshman year but I look for him to have a breakout year his sophomore season. He can shoot the lights out and he might make Kentucky look very bad for not offering him. You can’t tell me that he isn’t better than Hart Burks or Thiero was his freshman year.
It’s Sad but in the next 4 years we will be seeing Noah light it up again in Rupp but it will be in beating the Wildcats! It would have been great to see the kid wearing the Kentucky jersey! Hey Larry that should be the first thing to change, No Name on every jersey but Kentucky!
The FRAUD will only recruit one in state white kid a year. It messes up his NBA kickback business.
Makes 8.5 million a year and intentionally sabatoges his own program. CRIMINAL
You are exactly right about that.
I think Mitch Barnhart needs to go, for allowing this, for so long….