IT WAS a season of limited opportunity for National Basketball League (NBL) Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue during his first campaign in the program, with the youngster not hitting the court often for the Perth Wildcats.

Following in the footsteps of one of the biggest Next Star success stories in fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr, Kouakou-Hengue signed with the Wildcats as a part of the program, looking to develop his game instead of signing with a college or continuing to play in Europe.

Although he was not given much playing time by head coach John Rillie given he is such a raw prospect, the youngster was still able to deliver some promise in his first NBL campaign, which was almost ended prematurely with an early departure from the team.

Noa Kouakou-Hengue (Perth Wildcats)

2025/26 averages – 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals
64.7 per cent FG, 50 per cent FT

The impressive French talent only suited up for the Wildcats in 15 games at 4.8 minutes per outing, so the opportunity was not quite there to truly show his skillset. However, he was still able to show a snapshot of his capabilities back in October, finally given ample playing time and having an impact on the offensive side of the ball.

Kouakou-Hengue kicked this run off with eight points in the win over the Cairns Taipans on October 22nd, playing 16 minutes and being injected into the contest early in a positive sign. The Wildcats have a plethora of big men, so being third in line for frontcourt minutes made it difficult, but he made his opportunity count against the Taipans.

The Frenchman showed plenty of energy, athleticism and adaptability in his breakout performance, shooting 66 per cent from the field and throwing down a powerful dunk en route to his first NBL points to go with four rebounds on the night.

He backed it up with seven points and three rebounds against the Illawarra Hawks three days later, doing all of this in just eight minutes of court time to show that he could be a solid rotational piece for Rillie and the Wildcats moving forward.

Unfortunately, that was the last game he played until December, and in between those outings, he attempted to depart the Wildcats and return back to France, verbally agreeing to join a team in his home country. The deal fell through when the Wildcats held him to his deal, and he played sporadic minutes at the end of games for the rest of the season.

Considered a top draft prospect for the 2027 season at times throughout his junior career, Kouakou-Hengue’s future with the Wildcats is unknown, but the team will be hoping to retain his services for his draft year given the promise he showed and the development that he could potentially bring in his second campaign.