Malachi Moreno has 'one goal and one goal only' while playing at Kentucky

Malachi Moreno - Chet White, UK Athletics

Malachi Moreno didn’t come to Kentucky to temper expectations; he wants to establish a legacy by hanging banners in Rupp Arena.

A 6-foot-11 freshman out of Georgetown, KY — just a short drive down the road to Lexington — and lifelong fan of the Wildcats, Moreno understands the program’s historic standard. Anything short of a Final Four appearance is below it. He knew that when he committed to Kentucky in the first place. Now over halfway through summer practices, being inside the belly of the beast feels different than expected, but it doesn’t change the motive.

“There’s a standard here at Kentucky, and that’s to be the best, and that’s to want to be the best,” Moreno told reporters Thursday. “So being a local guy, I feel like growing up, you understand what the assignment is. But it’s also new territory at the end of the day… As long as we all have the same mindset for winning number nine, I think we’ll be in really good shape.”

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has made some aesthetic changes to the practice gym to reflect that line of thinking. Earlier in the offseason, Pope arranged it so that eight blue banners now hang on the walls of the bottom of the Joe Craft Center, each one signaling the year of a national championship-winning Kentucky team.

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But a ninth white banner sits on the far right with #9 inscribed on it — a constant reminder of what’s at stake for Moreno and the rest of his teammates.

“I’ve got one goal and one goal only, and that’s to win number nine,” Moreno said. “Whether I play five minutes or 25 minutes, as long as we’re winning, I couldn’t care less.”

Moreno might end up seeing more than just five minutes per game, at least early on in the season, considering the likelihood that Jayden Quaintance is still recovering from his ACL injury. He could easily end up playing a significant role in helping the ‘Cats make a deep run in 2025-26. But regardless of what his freshman season looks like on the floor, Moreno will still be a kid in a candy store when he wears his Kentucky jersey for the first time.

“I’m gonna feel great,” He said of putting on the jersey. “I’m a local kid, and it’s something I’ve always dreamt of. I feel like it’s really going to hit me once I see Kentucky number 24 with Moreno on the back. I think that’s going to be real sentimental moment for me.”