Trent Noah had an Awesome Experience in Rupp Arena Again

Trent Noah hit four 3-pointers Wednesday. (Vicky Graff Photo)

The last time Trent Noah played in Rupp Arena, he put on a historic 3-point shooting display that helped Harlan County reach the state tournament title game and set a new tourney record for 3-pointers made.

In his first exhibition game with Kentucky Wednesday, he was again making 3’s as he went 4-for-5 from 3-point range in only nine minutes to finish with 12 points.

“It was awesome. I feel like it came full circle, so it’s been really cool. I got to play with my guys back home (Harlan) and now I get to play with my brothers here, so it’s awesome,” Noah said.

Noah said Pope and his assistants instill confidence in every player.

“That’s what you need in a shooter, so it’s a fun brand of basketball. It’s fun when you can just go down and shoot 3’s freely and I feel like it’s fun to watch too, so it’s a win-win,” Noah said.

However, while the Cats were hitting 21 3-pointers, they also had 32 assists on 41 field goals.

“I feel like we were making plays for each other all night, and that’s what ultimately makes it fun,” Noah said. “Whether you’re hitting 3’s or not, making plays for each other (is key). We had countless times where we had passes for dunks and stuff like that , so whenever you’re playing for other people and our team, that’s what we preach about. It is cool to see it translate to the floor.”

Another Kentuckian, former Lyon County star Travis Perry, also hit a 3-pointer in Wednesday’s win. Perry and Lyon beat Noah’s team in the state title game in Rupp in March.

“Trent is not shy. It’s really great to have him on the floor. Our guys love him. Everybody
on the bench was losing their mind. (Injured) Kerr (Kriisa), I thought Kerr was going to, I don’t know. I thought he was going to start ripping his clothes off. He was so excited,” Pope said.

“Listen, they are a really important part of our team. We are really blessed that we can have three freshmen that could play every minute of the game. I think Travis Perry has been really extraordinary and it’s hard to be a point guard for me. Like it’s really hard to be a point guard for me. I don’t know if that’s exactly his natural position.”

Perry did play 15 minutes at point guard against Kentucky Wesleyan to impress his coach.

“I’m super proud of both those guys. Collin Chandler was excellent tonight. He took a real step forward and he’s going to be a special player and those three freshmen are going to have a big impact on us this year and next year and it makes you feel good to have those three guys here and know that they are going to continue with this program,” the Kentucky coach said.