Rupp Arena fell silent Tuesday night when Kentucky sophomore forward Trent Noah crumpled to the floor in the first half of the Wildcats’ season opener. The sight of Noah grimacing and clutching his ankle sent a jolt through the building—especially for a team already dealing with early injury concerns.
It was Noah’s first career start for Kentucky, and his energy had already been a spark. But what happened next showed why head coach Mark Pope calls him one of the toughest players he’s ever coached.
Mark Pope’s hilarious recount of Noah’s injury moment
During his postgame media session, Pope shared a story that perfectly captured Noah’s grit—and drew plenty of laughs.
“One of the assistants came up to me, I think at the end of the first half or start of the second, and said, ‘Trent’s good to go,’” Pope recalled. “I was like, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Trent’s the toughest dude I know. He was in a lot of pain out there—he never shows that.”
Indeed, Noah had to be helped off the court and limped noticeably to the bench. But after halftime, he was spotted testing the ankle—jumping, cutting, and even jogging during warm-ups like nothing had happened.
Still, Pope wasn’t buying it.
“I walked down to Brandon Wells, our head trainer, and said, ‘Brandon, is he really ready to go?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, we tested him. He cut, he ran, he says he’s fine,’” Pope said. “And my direct quote was, ‘Well, Trent Noah is a liar.’ I probably yelled it louder than I should have.”
Protecting the player from himself
Pope’s decision was clear: Noah wasn’t going back in.
“I’m glad we were able to finish the game without putting him back out there,” Pope added. “We’ve got to get him healthy because he’s a really important part of what we’re building.”
Noah’s moment of toughness—and Pope’s good-natured jab—highlighted the culture the first-year head coach is trying to instill in Lexington: selflessness, resilience, and team-first mentality.
For a player from Eastern Kentucky with a reputation for grit, it was the perfect snapshot of who Trent Noah is—a competitor willing to fight through anything, even if it means fibbing to get back on the court.
