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Trent Noah, a native of Kentucky and former basketball recruit to South Carolina, unexpectedly switched to the rival Kentucky Wildcats.
When streaking wing Trent Noah requested to be released from his NLI to the University of South Carolina earlier this week, South Carolina basketball experienced a decommitment from their 2024 recruiting class. Head coach of the Gamecocks Lamont Paris complied, and there were plenty of people in the NCAA basketball world who knew exactly what Noah’s next move would be.
Noah hails from the state of Kentucky. Although he didn’t fit into former Kentucky Wildcat coach John Calipari’s plans, Noah appeared like a perfect fit for Big Blue Nation when UK hired Mark Pope.
Soon after Noah was released from his NLI, word quickly spread that he was Mark Pope’s next recruit for the Kentucky Wildcats. Noah has officially become a ‘Cat after signing his paperwork with the University of Kentucky, according to a report from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
From the team that played in the previous season, the Gamecocks returned seven scholarship players: guards Jacobi Wright and Morris Ugusuk, wings Zach Davis, Myles Stute, and Arden Conyers, and forwards Collin Murray-Boyles and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk. In addition, they added three players through the transfer portal: bigs Jordan Butler, Nick Pringle, and Jamarii Thomas, a point guard, and Cam Scott, a 4-star wing and forward.
Prior to Noah deciding to play for his home state team, the roster was filled. The Gamecocks have lost a significant player, especially in light of the future, but Lamont Paris has already been working hard to fill his last roster spot.
The way Columbia’s roster is put together, Paris can choose the kind of player he wants to recruit. Every position on the Carolina roster has a number of players who can fill it, with at least one upperclassman and one underclassman occupying each spot.
Basketball fans at South Carolina could anticipate their head coach taking action soon, given how Paris’s transfer portal experience has been.
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An Arkansas directory reveals that several former Kentucky employees are on the men’s basketball staff.
The first Arkansas men’s basketball team led by John Calipari is starting to take shape.
Appointed on April 10, Calipari has brought a number of his Kentucky on-court and support staff members to the Natural State. On Wednesday, Calipari announced that Tyler Ulis, a former guard for Kentucky, will be joining the staff on “Ways to Win,” a podcast he co-hosts with former Oregon State coach Craig Robinson. Kenny Payne, Chin Coleman, and Chuck Martin have already been named as members of the staff.
Calipari did not say what Ulis’s responsibilities will be at Arkansas.
According to the University of Arkansas staff directory, Calipari has hired a number of people from Kentucky for non-playing positions. The UA directory lists the following individuals as staff members: associate athletics director for basketball operations Chris Woolard, assistant video coordinator Kevin Gallagher, head coach James “Bruiser” Flint’s associate Kevin Butty, and former Kentucky video coordinator Kevin Butty.
Uncertainty surrounds whether any of the old coach Eric Musselman’s staff members will remain on the new staff despite their continued inclusion in the directory.
After serving on Calipari’s staff for seven years, Flint took over as his replacement at Massachusetts. Prior to becoming an associate head coach, Flint worked as an assistant for Kentucky for the 2020–21 season.
Brad, Calipari’s son, is included in the UA directory as well. After holding the same role at Long Island, he was the director of on-court player development at Vanderbilt University the previous season. Before moving to Detroit, he spent three seasons playing for his father at Kentucky.
Ulis worked under Calipari as a graduate assistant for the previous two seasons, which gave him access to all coaching duties aside from recruiting and on-court practices.
During the podcast, Calipari stated that he is looking for graduate assistants who have recently completed their college careers or who have played professionally in Europe.
During his two years at Kentucky, Ulis averaged 11.3 points and 5.2 assists. He was a vital member of the 38-1 Kentucky squad that Wisconsin defeated in the 2015 Final Four. In his sophomore year, he broke the Wildcats single-season assist record.
The Phoenix Suns chose him with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He averaged 7.5 points and 4 assists over his three NBA seasons.
Ulis was a Chicago Bulls player as well. Injuries to his hips, muscles, and legs plagued his career.
