Malachi Moreno (Vicky Graff Photo)
The more Kentucky players and coaches talk about 7-foot freshman center Malachi Moreno, the more it sounds like his summer work has made it clear he could be a significant contributor for coach Mark Pope’s team this season.
“I don’t think he’s surprised himself. I think he’s always been confident in his abilities. Sometimes he can almost be even too passive as far as scoring,” Steve Page, Moreno’s coach at Great Crossing High School said. “People understand the way he plays. He can have an open layup but kick it out to an open teammate for a 3. That’s just him.”
Page noted how in the McDonald’s All-American Game, an event that puts the spotlight on guards normally, he played well.
“He showed people he could play with the best players and then did the same thing at USA Basketball,” Page said. “I think Malachi kind of knows what he is, knows how good he is now, knows what he needs to work on. That’s the great thing about him. He’s had so much success he could easily have his chest pumped out and think I’ve made it and I don’t have to do anything.
“But he understands that he’s going to have to progress to be able to get to where he wants to get. That’s obviously minutes at the next level. But his ultimate goal is obviously to play for money, play professionally and obviously the NBA would be the ultimate goal. But he knows he’s got a lot of work that he’s got to do to get to where he wants to get.”
Moreno was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year after Great Crossing’s state title season. However, he prefers not to talk about his own accomplishments.
“He is such a team guy. He was the main focal point with us but he knows at Kentucky it will be a little bit different. They’re gonna talk about everybody. So I think he wanted to make sure that he let the whole world know that he was not the only reason that we won the state title,” Page said.
“He tries to deflect that spotlight. He wants to shine the light on other guys. That’s how he has always been and that won’t change at Kentucky.”
2 Responses
He had a great high school coach which is very rare. Steve Page is a great coach. He does great with getting kids aggressively ready for the next level. Moreno is a little ahead of the learning curve for typical freshman who went the high school route. Moreno will be great because he hasn't settled. He wants more and more.
David Cobb of CBS Sports wrote an article about 4 coaches who had yet to win a national title but were going to do so. He named Mark Pope as the first of the four to do it. He based this prediction on the way Pope builds his teams. Instead of relying mainly on 5 star freshmen like Duke is doing, Pope brings in seasoned vets to fill specific roles while adding local freshmen talent who want to play for Kentucky to win national titles versus being OAD. The NBA has gone crazy with OAD and what has it accomplished? Talented guys who put their interests ahead of winning and it is no surprise that the teams that draft these prima donnas still struggle. Talent is everywhere, but unless it is molded for the purpose of winning versus just making money, it will just peter out in a few years…just ask Phoenix, New Jersey, or Charlotte. Look at Oklahoma City and what they have done and who they have done it with. SGA was a kid that many thought wasn't good enough to play at Kentucky. Despite Calipari's emphasis on the OAD system, SGA just wanted to win. Drafted 11th by Charlotte and immediately traded to the Clippers,,,it's little wonder that Hornets are a mess…played one season for the loser Clips and was then traded to Oklahoma City in 2019. In 2025 they win the championship, not because of SGA alone, but because of a team effort. This what Pope instills in his players…play for Kentucky, play to win championships, plan on being here for more than just one year. For high school freshmen, the message is come here and get better by practicing against seasoned upperclassmen, then be part of a championship team your sophomore or junior year. That is how you win national titles and Mark Pope will be bringing No. 9 to Kentucky sooner than most thought would be possible. If not this year, next year looks good too.