Malachi Moreno, a 6-foot-11 center from Georgetown, Kentucky, has officially signed with Kentucky after committing in August.
“I believe that Malachi Moreno is the best center in the country in this class,” Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope said. “He is an elite-level passer with incredible tracking vision. He has a ferocity around the rim in terms of ball protection and he is willing to engage physically. He is going to grow into an elite-level shooter. And, more important than all of those incredible things, is that he gets a little teary-eyed when he walks into Rupp Arena because he knows what this place is.”
“Growing up in Kentucky, you always wanted to put on that Kentucky uniform,” Moreno said of his commitment. “Just being able to go there and wear ‘Kentucky’ across my chest means the world to me.”
Ranked as a top three center in the class of 2025 by all major recruiting services, Moreno attends Great Crossing High School, just a half hour from the UK campus. He helped lead the Warhawks to the Sweet 16 KHSAA state tournament for the first time in school history as a junior, averaging 16 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.
Moreno posted a double-double in all three of his games in the 2024 state tournament, averaging 17.3 points and 16 rebounds during the run to the semifinals. Ahead of his senior season in 2024-25, Moreno is considered the preseason favorite to win Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball award.
On the AAU circuit, Moreno has been a part of Indiana Elite, the same program that was home to current UK freshman, Travis Perry. The squad reached the Adidas 3SSB circuit championship game this past summer.
The big man also participated in several high-level recruiting showcases during the summer months including Adidas Eurocamp, the NBPA Top 100 Camp and the Under Armour Next Elite 24 Showcase.
Other finalists in Moreno’s recruitment included Arkansas, Indiana, Louisville, Iowa, Ohio State, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
Moreno is not the only Division I basketball talent in his family. His older brother, Michael, was a standout player in his own right at Eastern Kentucky University, where he became the first player in EKU history to score at least 1,500 points and grab 900 rebounds.
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