Mark Pope made it clear he’d be keeping the state’s top talent home in Kentucky when he took the job, stressing the importance of players understanding what it means to be a Wildcat and wear the blue and white.

No one understands the magnitude of that more than kids who grow up here as members of Big Blue Nation, the ones bleeding blue from the day they were born. It’s those who counted down the shot clock as Rex or Richie or Delk or Walker or Wall or Knight or Booker or Ulis or Monk in the backyard looking to hit the game-winner before doing it themselves inside Rupp Arena like Reed Sheppard and soon Travis Perry.

It’s just in their DNA to be next.

“Before Richie (Farmer) and after Travis (Perry) and everybody in-between that is an in-state Kentucky kid, these young men that grow up in Kentucky, they bring a spirit to the team that cannot be fabricated or replaced,” Pope said at his introductory press conference. “And it helps us to win, and we will continue to recruit them.”

That’s why when Harlan County’s own Trent Noah became available this week, it was an opportunity Pope couldn’t pass on. The 6-6 guard finished his high school career as the No. 5 all-time scorer in KHSAA history with 3,707 points, closing out with a magical run to the Sweet 16 championship at Rupp, only to fall to Perry’s Lyon County squad in a heartbreaker.

They poured everything into representing Kentucky high school basketball with dignity, and now, they’ll do it together as Wildcats in the same building.

“Trent Noah is one of the elite shooters in this class,” Pope announced Wednesday. “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.”

For Noah, he wanted to play for a coach with those same values, someone that knows what it means to lead this program. The passion that he plays with out of Harlan County is the same he wants to see out of his coach on the sidelines.

He sees the vision and knew immediately he needed to be a part of it.

“I mean, Coach Pope — he’s an exceptional, exceptional guy. And he’s an exceptional coach on top of that. I know that Kentucky fans already love him, but whenever this season comes around, they’re gonna love him even more,” Noah told KSR. “It’s just something about — he knows the Kentucky way. Me being from Kentucky, I’ve grown up around Kentucky. We’ve had football season tickets for 62 years now in our family, so I’ve grown up around it.”

He’s signed, officially joining the program this week to make Lexington his new home. And he’s already counting down the days to his arrival.

“I can’t wait to get down to campus,” he said.