Freshman center Malachi Moreno is latest Wildcat to arrive on campus

Another member of Kentucky’s 2025-26 men’s basketball team has made his way to campus.

Incoming freshman center Malachi Moreno is the latest Wildcat to make his way to Lexington, a short trip down the road for the Georgetown native. Moreno posted on Thursday a picture of his locker on Instagram, and it appears he’ll be rocking the No. 24 on his jersey for the upcoming season. The 7-foot-1 big man out of Great Crossing, where he recently won a state championship, is considered the 28th best recruit from the 2025 class.

Moreno joins the likes of Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance, Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe, and Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen as Kentucky players who have arrived on campus ahead of summer workouts. Most of the team is expected to join them over the coming days.

Moreno, who graduated from high school earlier this week, was named a McDonald’s All-American this past season and also received an invite to the 2025 USA Basketball U19 National Team training camp, where he’ll join Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and fellow incoming freshman Jasper Johnson in Colorado Springs later this month. As a senior at Great Crossing, he averaged 21.5 points and 14.9 rebounds per outing while shooting 72.1 percent from the floor.

“This Malachi Moreno — I’m telling you what, man. It seems like every day college evaluators and NBA evaluators fall more and more in love with him,” Pope said last month. “He just keeps getting better, and he is getting better every day. We’re really excited to have him here.”

The Big Blue Nation will be able to get a first-hand look at Moreno this Friday when he plays in the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Game at Lexington Catholic High School. He’ll host a meet-and-greet beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET before taking the floor in the Boys’ game around 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets, which can be purchased here, will get you a chance to meet Moreno and watch him play.