Kentucky men’s basketball big man Malachi Moreno is set to return to Lexington next season while also testing the NBA Draft waters, he announced on social media.
“If I’m back in college next season, it’ll be right here with Big Blue Nation,” Moreno said.
The 7-footer from Georgetown, Kentucky, just concluded his freshman campaign with the Wildcats, playing in 36 games while earning a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while earning the starting nod in 30 contests, finishing with a 58.2% field goal percentage and a 69.8% free throw percentage.
The freshman expected to see time on the court this season, but not nearly as much as he did, as projected NBA lottery pick and Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance was supposed to take up the bulk of his minutes once he finished rehabbing his torn ACL.
Quaintance played in just four games, and started in one against the Missouri Tigers, before running into some complications with his knee. Therefore, Moreno got appointed to that main role at the center position for the rest of the season.
Moreno recorded three double-doubles this season, two against mid-major programs such as Valparaiso and Tennessee Tech, and one against a more notable opponent in the No. 14 Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida.
The best all-around performance for Moreno came against Valparaiso on Nov. 7, when he totaled 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one block through just 21 minutes of playing time.
In the SEC Tournament, through three games against No. 16 seed LSU, No. 8 seed Missouri and No. 1 seed Florida, Moreno registered 17 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four blocks while going 9 of 10 at the charity stripe.
In the NCAA Tournament, against No. 10 seed Santa Clara and No. 2 seed Iowa State, Moreno scored seven points, while tacking on 12 rebounds and four assists to his first-ever March Madness statline.
Moreno will partake in the pre-draft process and gauge his draft stock before making a decision on whether or not he will return to Lexington.
The transfer portal officially opened on Tuesday, April 7, so the names that will be joining Moreno in Lexington next season will slowly start to creep in.