Kouat Noi

Kouat Noi (born 29 October 1997) is a Sudanese-Australian basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

Kouat Noi
No. 12 – Cairns Taipans
PositionForward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1997-10-29) 29 October 1997
Khartoum, Sudan
NationalitySudanese / Australian
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolMontverde Academy
(Montverde, Florida)
CollegeTCU (2017–2019)
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentCairns Taipans
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Australia
FIBA World U17 Championship
2014 Dubai

Early life

Noi was born in Khartoum, Sudan during height of the Second Sudanese Civil War. His family fled the country amid escalations of the conflict, first to Egypt and later to Australia in 2002.[1] Growing up in Newcastle, he blossomed into a basketball star, and went on to average 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while helping lead Australia to a silver medal at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai.[2]

In 2014, Noi moved to the United States and enrolled at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, where he briefly played alongside Ben Simmons.[3] As a senior in 2015-2016, Noi averaged more than 19 points per game for the Eagles.[4]

College career

Noi enrolled at Texas Christian University (TCU) on a basketball scholarship in the summer of 2016, and redshirted in his first season on campus as the Horned Frogs won the 2017 NIT title[5] under first-year head coach Jamie Dixon.

In 2017–18, Noi played in all 33 of TCU's games, starting nine of them. He averaged 10.2 points per game as the Frogs finished the season with a 21-12 record and secured a berth in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the program's first in 20 years.[6]

As a sophomore, Noi registered his first collegiate 20-point game with a 27-point performance against Eastern Michigan on 26 November 2018[7] and his first career 30-point game against Oklahoma on 12 January 2019.[8] Noi averaged 13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore playing in 31 games, including 19 starts. He declared for the 2019 NBA draft, forfeiting his remaining two years of eligibility.[9] He later withdrew from the draft.[10]

Professional career

In July 2019 Noi signed with the Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League.[11]

References
  1. "TCU's Noi Goes from Fleeing South Sudan to College Basketball Success". NBSDFW.com. 31 January 2019.
  2. "Kouat Noi". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  3. "Newcastle's Kouat Noi, out of Africa and bound for the US". Newcastle Herald. 10 September 2014.
  4. "TCU announces addition of Noi". GoFrogs.com. 22 August 2016.
  5. "TCU uses fast start to rout Georgia Tech, captures first NIT title". ESPN.com. 30 March 2017.
  6. "A Record 7 Texas Teams Are In The NCAA Tournament". KERA News. 12 March 2018.
  7. "Frogs Down Eagles, 87-69". GoFrogs.com. 26 November 2018.
  8. "Noi scores 30, Frogs fall to Sooners". GoFrogs.com. 12 January 2019.
  9. Davison, Drew (11 April 2019). "'It's my time.' TCU's Kouat Noi is 'all-in' pursuing NBA, professional dreams". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  10. Triebwasser, Melissa B. (13 June 2019). "Kouat Noi withdraws from the NBA Draft". Frogs o' War. SB Nation. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  11. "Former Frog Kouat Noi signs with Cairns Taipans". Frogs O'War. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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