Malachi Moreno began Kentucky’s recruiting run. What’s next for the Great Crossing star?

The vibes surrounding the Kentucky men’s basketball program couldn’t be better at the moment. That’s what happens when generations past and present are united once again in support of the Wildcats.

The most recent offseason developments for UK basketball — the team’s annual media day last week and Big Blue Madness on Friday, which included an appearance from Rick Pitino — only supersized the wave of emotion the UK fan base is riding.

But think back to mid-August and you’ll remember a key moment that helped set the tone for new head coach Mark Pope at Kentucky. That’s when the Wildcats picked up their first class of 2025 commitment from talented in-state center Malachi Moreno.

The 6-foot-11 Moreno is a star at Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, and he’s the early favorite to be the 2025 Kentucky Mr. Basketball winner.

In committing to the hometown Wildcats well ahead of the fall signing period, the 17-year-old Moreno gave Pope an important platform to work from when it came to recruiting.

“It’s been crazy. Just all the love I’ve gotten from BBN, my whole family. It’s just like, everywhere we go, it’s all love,” Moreno told the Herald-Leader on Saturday at a USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado. “I’ve grown up a Kentucky fan, so it was obviously going to be hard to say no (to playing at UK). Being able to become a Kentucky Wildcat, it’s like a dream come true.”

Ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a five-star prospect and as the No. 24 overall player in the 2025 class, Moreno’s commitment was valuable in many ways for the Cats.

First, there was the simple act of giving Kentucky an early 2025 commit, and giving Pope his first true recruiting commitment as the head coach. There was also value in UK securing a commitment from the commonwealth’s best class of 2025 prospect, cementing Kentucky’s status as the premier destination for in-state players.

“The depth of talent in the state of Kentucky will — like every state it will have some fluctuations — but there’s great talent in this state right now, tremendous talent,” Pope said last week.

In the two months since Moreno committed to UK, Pope has gotten plenty of more good news on the recruiting trail.

In September, UK added a commitment from five-star class of 2025 guard Jasper Johnson, himself a former Kentucky high school star at Woodford County. One of Moreno’s first orders of business after his own commitment was to publicly, and ultimately successfully, campaign for Johnson to join him at Kentucky.

That led to some fun moments over the weekend in Colorado at the USA Basketball camp, as Johnson and Moreno teamed up in certain drills while playing against each other in five-on-five action.

“It’s great. Jasper’s one of my brothers now. We’ve been boys for life,” Moreno said, while rejecting the idea that he could take credit for Johnson’s commitment. “It’s going to be a great experience being teammates in college after all these years playing against each other. Just being able to share the USA experience with him, it means a lot.”

In addition to Johnson and Moreno, the Wildcats are in prime position to land another 2025 prospect, four-star guard Acaden Lewis from Washington, D.C. Lewis was Kentucky’s top visitor for Friday’s Big Blue Madness.

UK is also strongly involved with 2025 big men Chris Cenac and Caleb Wilson.

“I’d like to say I hope so,” Moreno said when asked if he thought his commitment helped start a recruiting run for UK. “But at the same time, everyone has their own decisions. I just want to be kind of a kickstart, just hopefully influence (other players’) decisions, make it a little bit easier to come play at Kentucky.”

After UK commitment, what’s next for Malachi Moreno?

While other pieces of next season’s Kentucky basketball roster fall into place around him — only five players from this season’s UK team will still have NCAA eligibility for next season — Moreno is focused on personal improvement and team achievement during his final high school season.

Great Crossing is coming off its first trip to the Sweet 16 state tournament. Moreno was a major reason why the Warhawks reached that stage last season: As a high school junior, Moreno averaged 16.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game as Great Crossing lost only two games and reached the Sweet 16 semifinals.

The Warhawks will enter this season as a state championship favorite, to go along with Moreno’s projection as the state’s best senior.

“He said from the moment we lost in the semifinals, ‘We’re coming back to win a state title,’” Great Crossing head coach Steve Page said after Moreno committed to Kentucky in August. “That’s his number one (goal). If you told him right now, ‘You’re not going to score a point all season, but you’re going to win the state title,’ he would sign up for it right now. That’s 100% his focus.”

But there are clear areas in which Moreno can and should improve before he arrives in Lexington.

First and foremost is his perimeter game. Moreno remains a low-post monster and is a double-double machine at the high school level, but modern basketball is made for versatile big men.

For Moreno, this means continuing to hone his 3-point shot (in practice and in games) and further develop his defensive skills in space.

“I feel like it’s gone really well,” Moreno said of recent developments in his game, adding that coaches have specifically told him how much he’s improved since the spring.

What about what Pope and the UK coaching staff want Moreno to focus on during his senior season?

“Just being a great talker, a team leader and just always staying in the gym, being a gym rat,” Moreno said. “Just fall in love with the game even more.”

This growth will have to come while Moreno and Great Crossing have a target on their backs. Great Crossing’s schedule this season includes an appearance at the prestigious City of Palms Classic, a December high school basketball showcase in Florida.

Great Crossing’s first game at the event will be a marquee matchup on Dec. 19 against Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School.

Columbus has won three consecutive Florida state championships and is powered by the dynamic duo of forward Cameron Boozer and guard Cayden Boozer. Those two class of 2025 standouts are the twin sons of former NBA star Carlos Boozer. Last week, the Boozer twins — who are former UK recruits — both committed to Duke, their father’s alma mater.

“I’m just looking to have a lot of fun with my best friends,” Moreno said of his senior season. “We all grew up together, we all chose to go to the same high school together. Just being able to share this experience one last time with them. There’s no better feeling.”

Moreno will be the center of attention during his final season at Great Crossing. Everyone will know about his on-court reputation and college plans, and his individual development will be thoroughly scrutinized.

Still, Moreno is keeping a level head on his shoulders.

“I just want to be a role model,” Moreno said. “Just present myself as a good person and let BBN know that they have, not just a good player, but a great person off the court as well.”

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