Malachi Moreno is one of my favorite players at Kentucky.
The 7-foot, 250-pound freshman center from Georgetown is a joy to watch. He is a hard worker who moves around very well. He can do a lot of damage with rebounding, passing and scoring.
With point guard Jaland Lowe sidelined with a shoulder injury, Moreno may even play like a guard, bringing the ball up the hardwood floor, to help out the Wildcats. Remember 7-foot Amari Williams last season? He did a lot of that.
And 6-foot-10 junior Brandon Garrison and 6-foot-7 Mouhamed Dioubate occasionally may play in the backcourt, too. Don’t forget 6-foot-11 Andrija Jelavic, either. He can play like a guard.
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including newly published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter@KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.
Said UK coach Mark Pope after his team’s 99-53 victory over Eastern Illinois Friday night, “It’s one of the nice things about the way we play is we feel like we have a lot of options to go to on a need to basis. And there’s so much to learn and so, but yes, I feel a lot of comfort because I think we have a lot of options. It’s not really options like the ball is going to be in this person’s hands all the time. It’s just that there are a lot of ways we can attack the game with guys that can potentially be playmaking deciders. I feel pretty good about that. I have a lot of comfort. That’s one of the beautiful things about our roster.”
Moreno, who has made a remarkable progress since his days as McDonald’s All-American at Great Crossing High School, is off to a great start at UK. While coming off the bench in four games going into Tuesday night’s matchup with Michigan State in New York City, he leads the team in rebounding with an average of 7.5 caroms while averaging 10.5 points and 18.7 minutes.
As for hitting free throws, Moreno, however, is struggling, making 8 of 17 foul shots for 47.1 percent.
Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose team dropped to Kentucky 78-65 in an exhibition game last month, likes Moreno, who was ranked as a Top 3 center in the class of 2025 by all major recruiting services.
“Malachi is a guy that we recruited, put a lot of time into,” he said. “He’s got a promising future.”
Added Pope, “He’s going to have some growing pains because he’s a freshman, but his impact is incredible. He just is a dominant force inside. … He’s got a chance to be really special in a list of bigs that have been incredible here at Kentucky.
“He’s one of those guys he does things on the floor. You shake your head and be like, I didn’t know that’s the guy I recruited a year ago. He’s been such an impactful freshman for us.”
On his improvement from his high school days where he also earned Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball honors last season, Moreno said, “I just came into college ready to work. College is a lot different than high school and — I think since then — it has only been trying to prove myself and just trying to get better every single day. So, I think that has been the main focal point for me and I think that has really helped me so far.
“It’s been a gradual process. I’ve kind of just been trying to take it one day at a time, trying to get better every single day, and try to make an impact in any way that I can.”
Before the season began, UK senior Otega Oweh was asked who was the most surprise player.
“It’s really hard for me to pick just one, but I’m going to say Malachi Moreno and Denzel Aberdeen,” he said. “Malachi is a beast down low, and he put on a lot of muscle since he got here. He has been super-physical and super-efficient in our scrimmages. Denzel has been shooting the leather off the ball, and his playmaking, along with his toughness, give him a great competitive spirit about the game.”
In Kentucky’s recent 107-59 win over Valparaiso, Moreno, who is one of UK’s three freshmen, had a memorable performance. He posted his first collegiate double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He even had three assists without a turnover.
“It felt great,” said Moreno after the game. “Coach has said it before; it was only a matter of time before I got comfortable and tonight, I felt really comfortable. So, having that comfortability and having that trust for my teammates just gave me confidence to perform.”
Moreno said he has adjusted well to the physicality. “I’ve been in the weight room a lot, trying to figure out my body, what works best, and just trying to get my body ready for what’s to come,” he added.
Pope said he was very proud of Moreno’s performance.
“Like all of our guys, he’s dealing with a thousand different distractions. But he was able to come on the floor tonight and really focus. He’s got physicality that might be surprising. I think when you look at him, you expect he’s going to feel a certain way when you actually make contact with him. But I think he’s way stronger and I think he’s doing an unbelievable job rebounding out of his area and he’s determined.
“Probably the most important thing, he’s a 3 assist 0 turnover guy for a big freshman and had a ton of usage tonight and I don’t think you see that very often.”
Against Eastern Illinois, Moreno was one of the five Wildcat players who scored in double figures. He had 11 points in 20 minutes while grabbing six rebounds and getting two assists.
Moreno, whose brother Michael was a standout player at Eastern Kentucky University, said wearing a Kentucky jersey “across my chest means the world to me.”