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King Kouat Ready to Walk the Walk
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Thursday, September 1, 2022
“You don’t know what’s coming”. That’s the warning Kouat Noi has issued to opposition sides in NBL23.
By Dan Woods - NBL Media
“You don’t know what’s coming”.
That’s the warning Kouat Noi has issued to opposition sides in NBL23.
The talented forward has traded Cairns for Sydney for the upcoming campaign, and as he enters his fourth NBL season he hopes to build on the strong foundation he laid for himself in Far North Queensland.
Since finishing second in the 2020 NBL Rookie of the Year voting, sandwiched between then Next Stars and current NBA players LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, Noi has shown glimpses, without hitting his peak.
Injuries and the inability to force his way into his preferred power forward position are factors that can help explain why he may not have hit the giddy heights hoped of him yet. Still just 24 years of age though, time is certainly on Noi's side.
Ahead of his first season in purple and gold, Noi is expecting a brand new version of himself to hit the floor.
“My three years in Cairns I was playing the three position and that was all new to me,” Noi told NBL Media. “I still did a really good job in that position, but coming to the Kings [I’ll play power forward]. Power forward is where I’m most comfortable at and it’s where you’ll see most of my strengths.
“Playing at the four for the Sydney Kings, people will really see the real Kouat Noi, for sure.
“I’m at a stage in my life where I have to knuckle down and show the world I’m still one of the [best] young players in the NBL … I had to go to a big organisation and I know I’ll get all the exposure I need to blossom there and earn the recognition I deserve.”
When fans think of Kouat Noi's abilities, the first things that likely spring to mind are his brute force on the boards and ability to finish strong at the rim. Just as present as any on-court qualities he displays are his inherent ability to talk the talk and back his own skillset to the ends of the earth.
A level of self-belief is an admirable quality to have, and you certainly don't get to any level of elite sport without hallmarks of that confidence - but that comes with a responsibility to step up.
Noi made some supremely strong statements during this year's NBL 1 North campaign and, to his credit, he backed them up.
'I'll win MVP'. Done. 'Rip City will "whoop" Darwin and beat Cairns in the playoffs'. Achieved. 'I'm here to dominate NBL1 North'. Nobody can deny that's exactly what he's done. The only prediction that failed to come true was his USC Rip City side walking out with the title - the Jason Cadee, DJ Mitchell and Tanner Krebs led Gold Coast Rollers proved too strong in the end.
It could be argued Rip City were behind the eight-ball from the word go in the finals. Noi was unavailable for game one after completing an intensive four hour training session in that morning, and while he performed admirably in game two, with 19 points and 12 rebounds, the Rollers just couldn't be stopped.
While that belief and confidence could make others uncomfortable - and it's even come under public criticism from some of his fellow NBL stars at other clubs with Brisbane's Harry Froling and Adelaide's Antonius Cleveland taking to Twitter to express their distaste at some of Noi's comments - the new King says the need and desire to back up his often lofty statements and goals is a strategy he uses to push himself to his limits.
“I definitely use it to motivate myself and get that pressure on me – I like it when the pressure’s on,” he said.
“I’ve always been that way, even in my first year with the Cairns Taipans I’ve been talking the talk, so it’s nothing new.
“Now though I’m very healthy and I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt. There’s more that I need to improve on. but all that confidence has come back.
"I’m very confident in myself and my abilities and this team will provide me with a way to get my name out there and let the world see me.
“I need to continue to keep working hard as the NBL season starts. You guys will really see me blossom as the season starts and you’ll be really surprised about the way I can score the ball defend at the highest level.
“All I have to do is work hard day in, day out, keep learning and you guys will see a very exciting year for me.”
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Congratulations to Kouat Noi (University of Sunshine Coast Basketball Club) on taking home the NBL1 North Men's Most Valuable Player Award ? pic.twitter.com/7u0NVAzcOk
Noi feeling fit and healthy will be music to the ears of not just Sydney Kings fans, but NBL neutrals who enjoy watching the show an in-form Kouat Noi can provide. His years since that breakout rookie campaign in 2020 have been blighted by injury.
He managed just 40 of a possible 67 games in his first two seasons with the Taipans, and a PCL injury suffered in Cairns' Round 10 clash with Sydney last season marked the end of his campaign.
Noi is prepared to see the silver lining of his injury issues though, and says they've afforded him ample opportunity to work on his game and become a more complete player.
“Injuries are part of the process of learning and I really think it let me step back and observe all the areas that I needed to work and improve on,” he said,
Regardless of the heavy defeat suffered in the grand final, there's no way to dispel the fact Noi had a remarkably successful NBL1 campaign. That, coupled with the arrival in a larger market like Sydney will mean the forward will have more eyes on him than ever before - and it's eyes he wants on him.
While he's hit the headlines for lofty statements and poorly-timed injuries more often than not in the past two seasons, he's more primed than ever to make a splash with his on-court performances in NBL23.
When asked about what fans can expect from him in Sydney colours, he gave a trademark answer. A line he uttered multiple times during this interview.
"Going forward, just stay tuned," Noi said.
"You don't know what's coming."