Kentucky's Trent Noah to Return for Junior Season

The Mountain Mamba era continues in Lexington.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 5:43pm

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A cubist-style painting featuring sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in shades of blue and white, representing the dynamic action of a basketball game.Trent Noah's return to the Kentucky Wildcats will bring a new dimension of energy and aggression to the team's offense.Harlan Today

Trent Noah, a Kentucky Wildcats basketball player, has announced that he will return for his junior season. Noah, a native of Harlan, Kentucky, averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore, seeing his role increase after an injury to a teammate.

Why it matters

Noah's return is important for the Wildcats, who have a limited roster heading into next season. The team will need Noah's positive energy, physicality, and ball security as they look to improve on their performance from this past season.

The details

Noah saw his minutes per game decrease from 11.1 as a freshman to 10.6 as a sophomore, but his production increased, as he finished the year averaging 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. His best performances came against Tennessee Tech (16 points, 6 rebounds) and NC Central (11 points, 6 rebounds). Head coach Mark Pope wants to see Noah be more aggressive offensively and shoot more from deep, as that is one of his strengths.

  • Noah announced his decision to return for his junior season on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

The players

Trent Noah

A junior basketball player at the University of Kentucky, known as the 'Mountain Mamba.' He is from Harlan, Kentucky and finished his high school career as the 5th all-time leading scorer in KHSAA history.

Mark Pope

The head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, who wants to see Noah be more aggressive offensively and shoot more from deep.

Kam Williams

A Kentucky basketball player who went down with a broken foot in late-January, leading to an expanded role for Noah.

Travis Perry

A basketball player from Lyon County High School who defeated Noah's Harlan County team in the KHSAA Sweet 16 championship game.

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What they’re saying

“Probably want him to be a little more daring, a little more aggressive offensively. I don't worry about Trent Noah making shots. He'll make shots, he's gonna make shots through the course of it. So I spend zero time on that but I do think he's given us positive energy, positive physicality, positive ball security. … We're gonna need him. Like, we need him. We have a very, very small, limited roster right now. So he's important for us.”

— Mark Pope, Head Coach, Kentucky Wildcats

What’s next

Noah will now prepare to lead the Kentucky Wildcats as they look to improve on their performance from this past season and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

Trent Noah's decision to return to Kentucky for his junior season is a big boost for the Wildcats, who will rely on his positive energy, physicality, and shooting ability as they look to build a competitive roster for the upcoming season.