Great Crossing High School big man Malachi Moreno made history on Friday morning, becoming the first player to commit to Mark Pope and Kentucky from the high school class of 2025.
“I was on a visit at UK,” Moreno said, reflecting on the moment he knew he was going to be a Cat. “Coach Pope brought me and my brother to sit down in the middle of the court and I just felt it. It was just a feeling. God put me on this path, so I just chose to follow it.”
Standing at nearly seven feet tall, Moreno was ranked as a four-star prospect by 247Sports. His status as a big man is something that, he said, helped him choose Kentucky as Pope himself was a former big when he played for the Cats and helped bring the 1996 National Championship home.
“I took a lot of pride in that knowing he develops his big men personally, not just as a coach,” Moreno said. “He knows what it takes, he was a big man at Kentucky.”
Moreno spoke of his conversations with Pope regarding the recruiting trail and the role he will hope to fill on the Cats’ roster for the 2025-26 season.
“It started once he got the job, he called me the first day he got it,” Moreno recalled. “I had to earn the scholarship twice, I got it from Coach (John Calipari) back in October and then I had to re-earn it from Coach Pope. That was sort of a message he gave me, he wasn’t going to give it to me, I had to earn it.”
“He says my passing is really good, being able to share the ball with my teammates and play at a high level. (At Kentucky it’s) just about being able to be a play-making big like how they are in the NBA, but also being able to hang banners and win championships.”
Having the liberty of committing with a full year of high school left to go, Moreno also touched on elements of his game he will seek to improve during his final year with the Warhawks, including consistency on the jump shot and being able to “provide for whatever’s needed.”
Moreno’s decision to commit to Kentucky as early as he did also had another purpose, however, as the big hopes to help become a recruiter as well and lure others to Lexington. One of his main targets? Former Woodford County shooting guard and five-star recruit Jasper Johnson.
“I have a list of people I want to text after this,” he said. “I think I could start a trend and get people to follow in my decision and come home. I talk to (Johnson) every now and then, I’m constantly telling him, ‘There’s no place like home, BBN loves us and we can say we got to wear Kentucky across our chests, so, it’s a dream we’ve both had since we were little kids.’”
With his dream from childhood having come true on a rainy Friday morning in Georgetown, Kentucky, Moreno will be able to rest easier as he prepares for his senior season with the Warhawks.
As for Pope and his staff, the work continues on the recruiting trail as they try to bring in their first true class in Lexington after taking over the program in the offseason following the departure of former coach Calipari for Arkansas.
Kentucky men’s basketball will kick off its 2024-25 season on October 11 with Big Blue Madness before the season gets underway proper on November 4 against Wright State.