Harlan County's Trent Noah granted release from NLI with South Carolina

One of the top high school players from the state of Kentucky, Harlan County’s Trent Noah, is back on the open market — and Mark Pope will certainly be interested.

On Tuesday afternoon, Noah announced on social media that he has requested and been granted a release from his National Letter of Intent with the South Carolina Gamecocks, which he signed back in November. A 6-foot-6 class of 2024 shooting guard, Noah is ranked No. 122 by On3 and is considered a three-star prospect.

In his announcement, Noah mentions that he “will be reopening my recruitment with hopes of pursuing basketball opportunities closer to home”. KSR’s Matt Jones reports that Kentucky, Lousiville, and Tennessee will be among the expected schools involved.

Proverbs 16:9 pic.twitter.com/jKrGSThGDj

— Trent Noah (@trentnoah2_) May 7, 2024

Noah made a name for himself earlier in the spring when he led Harlan County all the way to the Sweet 16 championship game against Travis Perry (committed to Kentucky) and Lyon County inside Rupp Arena. Despite coming up short in the title match, he was nearly unguardable on the hardwood. Noah dropped 35 points in round one, 48 in round two, 29 in the semifinals, and 17 in the finals.

He originally committed to South Carolina and head coach Lamont Paris back in October over the likes of Dayton, Saint Louis, Stanford, Richmond, Western Kentucky, Butler, and Seton Hall. As a senior for the Black Bears, Noah averaged 29.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on shooting splits of 56/43/88.9. He finished his high school career among the top five scorers in the history of the state.

Under former head coach John Calipari, Kentucky never truly gave Noah a hard look on the recruiting trail. But with Mark Pope now in the fold, the Wildcats are clearly in the mix and will immediately be considered one of the frontrunners to land the in-state product.