Malachi Moreno on Trent Noah: 'He's the best shooter in the gym'

When Mark Pope built his squad for next season, the head coach wanted more of a focus on athleticism, defense and physicality. There are still some good shooters on the team, but there isn't as many as last season. But, Kentucky is returning one of their best shooters in Trent Noah. Despite playing just ten minutes per game, Noah was a terrific shooter when he was on the floor.

That's a player that has really caught incoming freshman Malachi Moreno's eye in practice so far. "He's the best shooter in the gym," Moreno told reporters on Thursday. "Coach (Pope) emphasizes on being there on the catch so they don't get a shot off. You could be there on-the-catch with Trent and he's still gonna get a shot off. Like, he's such a prolific shooter."

Moreno also says Noah has been a very good mentor to him since he arrived on campus in June. "He's a good mentor. He's one of the returnees, so he's been really helpful on the defensive side and he's been a really good teacher." Noah is not just an amazing shooter, but he's also a very capable defender. Last season in his first year in Lexington, the Harlan County native shot 45.1 percent overall and 33,3 percent from deep. That percentage will become more accurate as Noah gets an increased role. His best game last season was against Tennessee, where he splashed in three 3's all in the first half, finishing with 11 points.

Whether Noah gets more minutes off the bench than last season or not, he's going to be one of the best shooters on the team, if not the best. He'll be a valuable option for Pope next season.