Mark Pope approves of Trent Noah's 'Mountain Mamba' nickname: "I love it."

Nicknames are meant to come naturally. They are not something you come up with or workshop to perfect. It’s like when that light bulb goes off above your head or when the feeling comes and smacks you in the face. When you know, you know.

That was the case when Trent Noah drilled a 25-footer from the top of the key in Knoxville, physically standing on the E in Tennessee on the halfcourt logo. He’s stepped up and played big minutes for Kentucky, but to put the Cats up by double-digits in what would end up being a massive top-10 upset? Yeah, that’s some Mountain Mamba stuff right there.

The nickname was proposed by Skippy03, a KSR+ member who was celebrating the big shot on the Tennessee game thread, posting simply, “The Mountain Mamba!” It rolled off the tongue, smooth like butter, matching Noah’s killer mentality on the floor as an unconsciously confident shooter while also sneaking in some nice John Denver wordplay. No overthinking it, just an organic in-the-moment deal.

The nickname stuck for the Harlan County native, fans blowing it up on social media and begging Noah to get the t-shirts printed — it is the NIL era, after all. No movement on that quite yet, but we did get an official statement from Mark Pope on the nickname that should put that all in motion.

The Kentucky head coach is a fan, confirming his support during his call-in radio show Wednesday evening.

“Speaking of which, is this true? I heard this today for the first time. Is this Mountain Mamba a real thing? The Mountain Mamba? I love it, Mountain Mamba,” Pope said. “I just heard that today, and I was like, this is fantastic!”

There you have it, folks. Mountain Mamba, Mark Pope approved.

No better time to join KSR+

If Skippy03’s brilliant Mountain Mamba call isn’t a sign that it’s your time to join KSR+, I don’t know what to tell you. Have your voice heard by joining the most engaging Kentucky community on the internet. Subscribe now for premium articles, in-depth scouting reports, inside intel, bonus recruiting coverage, and access to KSBoard, our message board featuring thousands of Kentucky fans around the globe. Come join the club and get one week of access for only $1.