Harlan County SG Trent Noah reportedly commits to Kentucky

Soon after he was hired, Mark Pope was able to hold onto Travis Perry‘s commitment to Kentucky, but Perry won’t be the only Bluegrass native joining the Wildcats next season.

On Wednesday, it was reported by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports that Harlan County class of 2024 shooting guard Trent Noah has committed to Kentucky. An excellent scorer at 6-foot-6, Noah was previously signed to South Carolina but was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent (NLI) on May 7.

“Paperwork is in and he’s a Wildcat,” Norlander wrote on social media.

Noah is considered the No. 122 high school senior in the country and a three-star recruit according to On3’s rankings. He finished his career at Harlan County with 3,707 points, fifth-most in state history. Alongside Perry (5,481 points), the two incoming freshmen will bring over 9,000 career high school points with them to Lexington.

Kentucky assistant Cody Fueger has developed quite the social media bit. A new boom GIF for every new roster acquisition. I'm told this is for Kentucky native Trent Noah, an incoming freshman forward who just de-committed from South Carolina. Paperwork is in and he's a Wildcat. https://t.co/40ISBXgqpS

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 8, 2024

A consistent member of All-State teams throughout his high school career, Noah has averaged at least 20 points per game since he was a freshman at Harlan County. The Baxter, KY product averaged exactly 20 per game as a freshman, 28.1 as a sophomore, and 26.5 as a junior. Noah’s senior campaign in 2023-24 was his best yet, though.

Across 39 games played for the Black Bears this past season, Noah averaged 29.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on shooting splits of 56/43/88.9. He exploded onto the scene once Harlan County made it to the Sweet 16 Tournament. In four games at Rupp Arena, Noah scored 35 points in round one, 48 in round two, 29 in the semifinals, and 17 in the finals, ultimately falling to Perry and Lyon County in the title.

Prior to choosing South Carolina, Noah was also considering the likes of Dayton, Saint Louis, Stanford, Richmond, Western Kentucky, Butler, and Seton Hall. Under former head coach John Calipari, Kentucky never seriously pursued the in-state star. But he’s the perfect piece for what Pope is looking to build at UK.