WATCH: Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Braydon Hawthorne offseason interviews

Summer interviews with Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Braydon Hawthorne | graphic via KSR

To finish off summer practice interviews with local reporters, Kentucky men’s basketball sent out a trio of freshmen for their official media scrum debuts as Wildcats.

Newcomers Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Braydon Hawthorne sat in front of the microphones Thursday afternoon to talk about how summer practices have been going so far, what they’re working to improve on, the importance of defense, their welcome to college basketball moments, and much more. All three rookies come to Kentucky as four-star talents and among the top 40 prospects from the 2025 recruiting class.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Moreno and Johnson also discussed their time with USA Basketball, while Hawthorne touched on being compared to Tayshaun Prince. Near the end of the interviews, Moreno and Hawthorne even snuck in a couple of hard-hitting questions for Johnson near the end of his interview session. Dive into the videos below to hear everything Kentucky’s newest freshmen had to say.

Jasper Johnson

Malachi Moreno

Braydon Hawthorne

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.