Malachi Moreno didn’t need long to learn that he had to push himself daily to compete at UK. (Larry Vaught Photo)
By Gina Potter, Contributing Writer
Malachi Moreno is ecstatic to be at Kentucky and is starting to live his lifelong dream of being a Kentucky basketball player. He’s a homegrown talent from Georgetown. His family is well known in Kentucky basketball circles.
He says his parents always instilled taking pride in where you’re from and he has taken that to heart. His brother, Michael, who played at EKU, is one of his heroes and he hopes to make him and his whole family proud.
Moreno is a four-star recruit and was ranked in the top 40 nationally in his recruiting class. He is also considered one of the top centers in the country. He is an elite shot blocker, excels on both ends of the glass, has soft hands, growing post moves, and finishes well around the basket. He is praised for being coachable, humble, and hard-working. His offensive game continues to evolve, with a developing mid-range shot and improved passing.
Since moving to campus, Moreno says it’s been a great experience. He loves being able to play basketball with his teammates daily, and together, they are starting to grow and improve. This new environment is challenging, but with the daily competition with his teammates, is helping them all improve immensely. He says the team is really starting to bond, they’re becoming best friends, and chemistry is growing.
In high school, as a 7-footer, Moreno was able to dominate, but now in the college environment, it’s a different story. He is now going against 22– and 23-year-old bigs that are testing his physicality. He says everyone is talented so now he has to really push himself to the limit.
He is building a strong connection with coach Mark Pope. Moreno describes Pope as more of a teacher and father figure. Most of his coaches in the past just yelled, but Pope is calm and patient. Moreno said Thursday that Pope will stop the play, pull players to the side and take time to really teach them thoroughly until everything becomes second nature.
When asked which teammate has been most helpful to him, Moreno says sophomore guard Collin Chandler has really taken him under his wing. Chandler is helping Moreno learn all the terminology, giving him a lot of motivation, and is teaching him how to stay level headed and positive.
Becoming a member of the UK team can be very overwhelming to young players. Moreno says he does several things to stay on track mentally. He watches films, talks to his parents and brother regularly, and makes prayer a priority. When school starts, Moreno says his grades come first and then basketball.
When asked which past Kentucky players he models himself after, he says, when he was little, it was Anthony Davis because they both have the unibrow! But other players joined his list of favorites as he got older. He added John Wall and Willie Cauley-Stein.
He says he’s happy to have freshman guard Jasper Johnson as his roommate. They are both from Kentucky and are going through a similar experience. They can relate to the same things, they talk daily, and they continuously push each other to get better.
Moreno can’t wait to put on that Kentucky jersey for the first time. He says that when he sees the number 24 with Moreno on the back, it will be a sentimental moment.
He has one goal and one goal only this year, and that is to win UK’s ninth national championship! Whether he plays five or 25 minutes, he will do whatever it takes to win the national championship.
