The Moment Trent Noah Became The Mountain Mamba

Trent Noah was not the MVP of Kentucky’s latest Top 10 win, but the Wildcats couldn’t have done it without him. It was fitting that the best game of the Harlan County kid’s young career was against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Mark Pope had to dig deep into the bench with Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler sidelined by injuries. Fortunately, this was not a first for the shorthanded Cats. Jaxson Robinson previously ran the point in the Gonzaga win. Last Saturday a few others made their SEC debuts, including Noah, who logged two points and four boards in 12 minutes of the loss at Vanderbilt.

On the road in a rivalry game in front of 20,000 hostile fans against a Top 10 team would be an intimidating atmosphere for anyone, let alone a true freshman who grew up right down the road. Noah was completely unfazed.

Noah played with supreme confidence in limited minutes against Tennessee. After trailing at intermission, the Cats left the locker room with their tails on fire. Kentucky retook the lead and during one stretch hit six straight shots. The seventh was from the logo in rhythm. There was never a doubt Noah’s deep ball was finding the bottom of the net.

Might pull up to Harlan if Trent Noah guy. pic.twitter.com/vDtkF6A9Sa

— KSR (@KSRonX) January 29, 2025

The shot gave Kentucky an 11-point lead, its largest of the night. As Big Blue Nation rejoiced, one fan had an epiphany.

Skippy03, a KSR+ member, posted in the Tennessee game thread, “The Mountain Mamba!”

Kentucky fans love giving out nicknames. We try it with teams and all too often it feels forced and unnatural. That’s not the case with Mountain Mamba. Big Blue Nation collectively and simultaneously agreed that’s it, that’s the one. It fits perfectly. The dude plays fearlessly, is butter from downtown, and he even rocks Kobe’s kicks.

The Mountain Mamba was not made in one play alone. Near the seven-minute mark, Tennessee was threatening. A Darlinstone Dubar three cut the Kentucky lead to six. It felt like the beginning of a comeback run until the Cats forced a turnover. Noah maneuvered his way through traffic to finish at the rim.

In a 78-73 win at Tennessee, Trent Noah had five points in nine minutes and became The Mountain Mamba.

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