Malachi Moreno enjoying growth process since arriving at Kentucky
One could almost sense the nods coming from across the country earlier this week when Kentucky’s Mark Pope was asked for his early impressions on one of the Wildcats’ highly regarded freshmen.
It was the fine line that almost every coach walks with the development of a McDonald’s All-American.
“Malachi Moreno is gonna be fun,” Pope said Monday during his summer Q&A session at the Craft Center. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun with him. He’s so young and he’s so capable.
“From him, we’re gonna see moments where it’s like he should be in the NBA right now, and we’re gonna see moments where we feel like, I’m not sure Malachi knows exactly what he’s doing. And we’re going to see both of those, and that’s what growth is.”
Moreno, a 6-foot-11 center from Great Crossing High School in nearby Georgetown, Ky., is a four-star prospect rated No. 1 at his position nationally in the Class of 2025.
Coming off a senior season in which he averaged 21.5 points, 14.9 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, and 3.5 assists, Moreno earned the Bluegrass State’s prestigious “Mr. Basketball” honor, McDonald’s All-American status, and an invitation to USA Basketball’s Under-19 camp in Colorado alongside fellow UK signee Jasper Johnson.
He is part of a deep and talented Kentucky frontcourt, which also includes veteran Brandon Garrison, transfer portal additions Jayden Quaintance, Mouhamed Dioubate, Kam Williams, and Reece Potter, as well as freshmen Braydon Hawthorne and Andrija Jelavic.
No rush
That means Pope won’t likely have to rush Moreno’s development, like many of the big men who have come through Lexington in recent years.
And the young player knows it’s going to be a gradual process.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment,” Moreno said on Thursday during a Q&A at the Craft Center. “… Some ups and downs, but my confidence level is higher than ever.”
He says the speed of the college game and the physicality of players like Dioubate and Garrison has been an eye-opening experience. Although he has gone from 210 pounds in high school to 230 pounds now at UK, he is still — not unexpectedly — behind the older players in learning how to use his body.
During his time at Great Crossing, his coach would often make him play on the perimeter because dominating around the rim every day in practice was not helping his game advance for the next level.
Now Moreno is suddenly facing guys bigger and stronger than he is. It’s not enough to just be almost 7 feet tall.
“You learn a lot of times it comes down to who wants it more,” he said. “… A mental thing as much as physical.”
Garrison becomes mentor
Moreno is grateful for the opportunity to compete against a guy like the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Garrison, who has taken on a “mentor” type role that Amari Williams played for him a year ago before getting drafted this summer by the Boston Celtics.
“BG has really been pushing me,” he said. “… A good teacher and a great teammate. He’s pushing me to get better every single day. With the way we play, I feel like he’s going to help me be very successful.”
It also helps playing for a former college and pro big man like Pope.
“When we do skill groups, he comes down to where the bigs work on their skills, and he’s a real big teacher,” Moreno said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better with my back-to-the-basket play, and also in being able to use my physicality to my advantage.
“I’m just here to be a sponge and listen.”
He’s getting just as much coaching off the court.
Moreno described Pope as being “more than just a basketball coach. He’s been a real father figure. Always asking me about my personal life. He’s been helpful with anything I need.”
Representing BBN
Being a highly regarded local product, Moreno feels even more responsibility to live up to his enormous potential with the Cats.
When asked about some of the goals he has set for his freshman season at UK, he kept it short and to the point.
“I’ve got one goal and one goal only, and that’s to win No. 9, whether I play five minutes or 25 minutes,” Moreno said. “… There’s a standard at Kentucky to be the best.”
That’s fueled by Big Blue Nation, something he’s been part of from a very early age. He rattled off favorite players like John Wall and Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns, and he can recite some of the more painful UK basketball moments of his lifetime just like any other BBN diehard.
He can’t wait for that first opportunity to take the floor at Rupp Arena as a Wildcat.
“I think it’s really gonna hit me when I see Kentucky with No. 24, Moreno on it,” he said. ” … “I’m here to represent where I’m from.”