Mark Pope raves about Travis Perry and Trent Noah following Kentucky debuts: "We are blessed."

Dreams came true at the 3:30 mark in the second half with Kentucky up 97-57 on Wright State in the season opener inside Rupp Arena. The eRupption Zone had been screaming for the local stars to get in the game since the midway point of the second half — the chants started when the lead was pushed to 40 — and they finally got their wish, Lyon County and Harlan County making their way to the scorer’s table for their official debuts in blue and white.

Welcome to the show, Travis Perry and Trent Noah.

Neither would score, but they combined for three rebounds to put their names in the box score for the very first time as lifelong Kentucky fans. It was a full-circle moment for the Kentuckians who last shared the floor together in a real game competing in the KHSAA Sweet 16 state championship game to wrap up their historic high school careers.

Their journeys won’t end with a couple of boards in a blowout non-conference win, though, says Mark Pope. Both Perry and Noah have bright futures as Wildcats playing real minutes with real contributions, not as human victory cigars.

“Listen. Travis Perry and Trent Noah are from Kentucky. They are great basketball players.  That’s probably the headline,” Pope said after the 103-62 victory. “They are terrific basketball players. They are freshmen playing at the University of Kentucky making big-time plays.”

Both players had their moments throughout the summer and into the preseason with the exhibition schedule. They didn’t necessarily have them in their official debuts with the game well out of reach, but their time is coming as ‘headliner guys,’ as Pope puts it.

They’ve got the talent and work ethic, now they just need time and experience.

“I am so impressed with these two young men. I’m telling you guys, the time is not going to be far away,” Pope said. “It could be in a week, a day, a month, a year when these guys are going to be headliner guys on this team. They are terrific basketball players. They are like sieves. They are picking up stuff and learning stuff and they are tough as nails.”

Players who work as hard as Perry and Noah do with the passion they have for the program are typically rewarded in some form or fashion — look at Pope’s role as the head coach at Kentucky.

He expects that reward to come in a major way and he’s grateful it’ll come in Lexington wearing the right colors.

“I suspect that neither one of those guys would ever miss a single rep ever in their entire career at the University of Kentucky,” Pope added. “We are blessed to have those two kids and they are really special and going to represent Kentucky great. We are really blessed.”