ESPN REPORT: Trent Noah Decline 24 Million Offer To Kentucky….See More

Kentucky’s big get shared an interesting detail about his recruitment.

Kentucky basketball recently flipped one of the top in-state prospects for the 2024 recruiting class in its favor as Baxter (Ky.) Harlan County Top150 small forward Trent Noah signed with the Wildcats. The three-star prospect was granted a release from South Carolina shortly before committing to Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope.

It was an unusual path to Kentucky for the in-state prospect, but one that was not an option prior to former head coach John Calipari leaving for the same position at Arkansas in early April. Despite being the No. 2 prospect in Kentucky for the 2024 class, Noah revealed he never spoke to Calipari or prior coaches.

“I never had any conversation with the previous staff,” Noah said during a recent interview on BBN Tonight. “Whenever the (coaching) changes happened, they began to recruit me. I’m just grateful that it all worked out.”

Noah produced an impressive high school basketball career at Baxter (Ky.) Harlan County, finishing with 3,707 points, which is fifth-most in KHSAA history. The all-state selection averaged 29.9 points per game as a senior while averaging 10.4 rebounds per game. He led Harlan County to the KHSAA State Championship Game where it fell to Lyon County.

Noah is one of just two high school recruits Kentucky signed in the 2024 class. He joins fellow in-state prospect and four-star Eddyville (Ky.) Lyon County point guard Travis Perry, who was already committed to the Wildcats while Calipari was still the head coach.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Noah said. “I remember as a kid I was in this same building going to the basketball camps and wanting to meet all the players. It’s awesome that it came full-circle. To say it’s a dream come true is really an understatement. … Growing up, being from Kentucky, a Kentucky kid, everybody wants to go to the University of Kentucky and put on that Kentucky jersey. And there’s really a lot of pride that comes with that too. Just a realization that I’ll be doing it this is where I’m going to school is awesome.”

Noah ranks as the No. 108 overall prospect and No. 24 small forward nationally in the 2024 class. He held additional known offers from Butler, California, Dayton, Indiana State, Seton Hall, Stanford, UCF and others. Noah initially committed to South Carolina in October 2023 before signing with the Gamecocks in November 2023.

“Trent Noah is one of the elite shooters in this class,” Pope said, via press release. “He is a tough, hard-nosed player with a special physicality. As an eastern Kentucky native, Trent will bring a grit, toughness and determination to the program that is representative of this state. We’re looking forward to Trent joining this talented group.”

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Kentucky has eight incoming transfers as part of its 2024 recruiting class under Pope. The Wildcats rank fifth nationally in the transfer portal team rankings.

CatsPause.com’s Aaron Gershon contributed to this report.

Cason Wallace named to NBA All-Rookie Team

The former Kentucky guard helped the Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference.

Cason Wallace, a star for Kentucky during the 2022-23 season, has been named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, it was announced on Monday.

Wallace, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, put together a solid rookie campaign, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder finish with the best regular-season record in the Western Conference at 57-25.

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while appearing in all 82 regular-season games for the Thunder, including 13 starts. Wallace shot 49.1% from the floor and 41.9% from 3-point range while also managing 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He was one of just two rookies to play in all 82 games this season alongside teammate Chet Holmgren.

Wallace also saw action in all 10 of the Thunder’s playoff contests, as the team swept past the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round before being knocked out by the Dallas Mavericks in a closely contested second round series which lasted six games.

At Kentucky, Wallace was an All-Southeastern Conference Freshman Team selection averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game in 32 appearances. He ranked among the league leaders in assists per game (2nd), assist-to-turnover-ratio (4th) and steals per game (4th), while his 63 steals on the season were the third most by a UK freshman in program history. In the Champions Classic against Michigan State, Wallace recorded eight steals, tying him for the most in a single game in Kentucky history.

Kentucky men’s basketball alumni continue to make a major impact on the NBA scene. UK led the country for the 12th straight season with 26 former student-athletes on NBA opening day rosters in 2023-24, while also pacing the nation with 22 representatives in the NBA Playoffs. At the 2024 NBA All-Star game, the Wildcats made history with a record-breaking seven players earning All-Star nods.