Malachi Moreno perpetrate to Kentucky Basketball

On Friday, 4-star recruit Malachi Moreno committed to the Kentucky Wildcats over Indiana, Ohio State, North Carolina, and others.

The in-state product announced his decision during a ceremony at Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, Kentucky, which was streamed by 247 Sports.

While Kentucky was Moreno’s dream school, it was not always in the lead in his recruitment. In fact, the Indiana Hoosiers were considered the leader for part of the recruitment, even as recently as July before Kentucky closed strong down the stretch.

Arguably the best center in the 2025 class and one of the highest-rated prospects from Kentucky in years, Moreno quickly became a priority for Pope when he took the Kentucky head coaching job back in April.

From that point, the current staff communicated with Moreno weekly and brought him in for multiple unofficial visits to campus and practice, ultimately leading to his commitment.

If you recall from Pope’s introductory press conference, Pope spoke on continuing to recruit in-state talent.

“These young men that grow up in Kentucky, they bring a spirit to the team that cannot be fabricated or replaced. And it helps us to win, and we will continue to recruit them,” Pope said.

Pope has followed through on that, bringing in two talented in-state freshmen this season, and now has another coming next season.

What was Moreno ultimately looking for in a school?

“I’m going to be looking for a place where I can grow my faith,” he told On3 this summer. “Grow as a player, grow as a person, and be in a family-type environment,” and he believes he has found that in Kentucky.

With a 7-foot, 230-pound frame with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Moreno is considered a true center. While he will need to become a more consistent shooter, he is versatile and has a good feel for the game. He runs the floor well and understands offensive spacing, scoring in transition and off cuts to the basket. He also has the strength and footwork to score in the post.

What Mark Pope loves about him most is his ability to facilitate the offense from the high post, using handoffs and finding teammates cutting to the basket.

Defensively, he is a little flat-footed to defend on the perimeter, but again, he will use his physicality in the post.

Here’s an excerpt of Moreno’s scouting report by 247 Sports’ Adam Finkelstein.

While he’s not naturally mobile or bouncy, because he’s continued to develop physically and athletically, we’ve seen correlated defensive growth as well. His size makes him a real deterrent in the lane and a solid rim protector when he’s already anchored in the paint (2.1 blocks). He projects as mostly a drop-coverage pick-and-roll defender, and can be flat-footed when pulled away from basket defensively, and yet has a good understanding of how to use his size to stay in plays and not give up terrible angles.

Moreno was also one of the better rebounders on the 3SSB circuit this year (8.4 per game). Again, his sheer size and hands are major assets in this area, but he’s also made clear strides with his willingness to be physical inside. There are still moments where he can leave you wishing he would just grab the ball more emphatically though, and his overall assertiveness is a key long-term variable for his future success.

Moreno becomes Kentucky’s first commit of the 2025 class as the staff looks to build upon the class. Multiple targets are making their decisions this fall.

One of those targets, Jasper Johnson will make his decision at the end of the month, with it coming down to Alabama and Kentucky. Another target, Braylon Mullins, one of the best shooters in the country, is an AAU teammate of Moreno’s.