Kentucky fans haven’t stopped talking about two names this offseason: Kam Williams and Trent Noah. Williams, the Tulane transfer, is coming off a season where he averaged 9.3 points a night and nearly 42% shooting from deep. Meanwhile, Noah, the in-state sophomore, already carries a reputation as one of the Wildcats’ purest shooters.
Despite the hype, when the July shooting numbers dropped, instead of excitement, fans were left confused and wondering what went wrong.
Kentucky Fans Question Trent Noah and Kam Williams’ Shooting Leadership Despite Topping the Rankings
Tristan Pharis managed to access Kentucky’s summer workouts through the Noah Basketball shooting system numbers. The cutting-edge tech has been a staple at Kentucky since the summer of 2023. The setup hangs right above the rim, logging every player’s shot and instantly grading it on arc, depth, and accuracy.
According to the 490 million-shot database, the ideal jumper drops in at a 45-degree angle and lands 11 inches deep in the rim. Hit those marks, and the player has landed in what they call the “splash zone.” Put simply, that’s the sweet spot where the ball falls cleanly through the net.
As Pharis puts it, the Wildcats’ leaderboard for the last 30 days shows, “To no one’s surprise, Kam Williams and Trent Noah are the top two.”
A look at Kentucky’s best shooters of the last month. To no one’s surprise, Kam Williams and Trent Noah are the top two.
Per an interview with @noahbasketball CEO John Carter, the “splash zone” is a range for the perfect shot.
– 45° entry
– 11-inch depth
– Straight shot, No L/R pic.twitter.com/vDPn0rlgtr— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) August 21, 2025
On paper, that seems reasonable. However, the fandom was concerned when they saw the numbers.
“Wow, we’re flexing this????” one wrote, pointing out how underwhelming 35% looks as a leader’s mark. And the skepticism didn’t stop there.
“Omg, that’s terrible,” another fan wrote.
Now, with no context, the 35% and 28% don’t seem like elite shooting. For comparison, Williams’ actual Tulane stat sheet shows a far stronger 41.2% from three. It is truly a big gap, and that is precisely why many felt the July data failed to back up the shooters’ reputations.
However, before writing off the leaderboard, some called for perspective.
“Need more context for this one big dawg lmaoo, first glance it looks awful,” a fan added.
The context is exactly what the Noah Basketball system thrives on. These are not simply raw makes and misses.
Each shot is broken down by precision. The system is about hitting that perfect mechanical sweet spot. In fact, NBA teams often hover around 65% splash zone rates, though their sample sizes and reps differ from summer college training numbers. Still, the frustration is easy to understand.
When fans hear Noah and Williams, they think instant buckets. Williams came to Lexington marketed as a 3-and-D threat with size and length. Noah, meanwhile, already made history in his first season, drilling three triples off the bench against a top-five Tennessee squad.
As the season inches closer, the former Wildcats still continue to show love to the next generation!
Doron Lamb was watching Kam Williams workout, posting a video on his Instagram and stating “Kid can shoot 👀👀👀”
🎥: Therealdoronlamb91/ IG | #BBN pic.twitter.com/rPEsveTPSV
— KY Insider (@KyInsider) July 29, 2025
Numbers that dip into the 20s and 30s don’t align with the images fans carry of them.
“Those are low percentages,” one fan posted.
It is hard to argue when one juxtaposes the percentage with game numbers.
It is a lot more disappointing for the fandom to see the numbers, considering that all summer long, Noah has been the hype around Lexington. Teammates like Jaland Lowe have called him “the best shooter I’ve ever seen,” while Malachi Moreno and Braydon Hawthorne both praised his ability to hit shots even when tightly guarded.
Trent Noah could be the 12th-man
Trent Noah could also be a legit rotation piece that shines in Year 2 under Pope
Excited for his ceiling! pic.twitter.com/My9V6zQUBv
— WT – MOTIVATED (@WildcatsTongue) June 23, 2025
The hype is perhaps because, before arriving at Kentucky, Noah made over 3,700 career points in high school, the fifth-most in Kentucky state history, while shooting 43% from deep as a senior. With such numbers and endorsements, of course, the expectations are high.
Then again, not everyone was buying into the panic. Some brushed the whole discussion aside, writing, “Looking at shooting percentages in July is a waste of time.” And there’s truth to that, too.
Summer workouts are about reps, volume, and ironing out mechanics, not replicating game efficiency. One example showed a player logging nearly 2,000 shots in a day at 71%. Strip out layups; one can see how “splash zone” percentages can vary wildly depending on drills.
That’s because tougher shots, like jumpers and threes, are harder to hit consistently. So, the “splash zone” number can swing a lot depending on which kinds of shots players take during the drill. Still, it is considered a solid barometer. Twenty-six of the NBA’s 30 teams and more than 50 Division I programs use the Noah system.
Are Williams and Noah really struggling? Or is this just the danger of raw data without explanation? That’s the tension Kentucky fans are wrestling with. The numbers say Williams and Noah are the best this summer. The eye test from last season says they can be much better. Both can’t be wrong, so maybe the answer lies somewhere in between.
And that’s the beauty of it. For now, the July leaderboard is just a summer headline. When Rupp Arena lights up and shots fall in front of packed crowds, those percentages will either become receipts or forgotten footnotes. Kentucky fans will find out soon enough if the splash zone was a warning sign or just another offseason distraction.
