Indiana Recruit Malachi Moreno Chooses Kentucky

Hoosiers were one of eight finalists for the 7-foot center who stayed close to home.

Todd Golden | Aug 16, 2024

Spencer County's Camden Cox (24) and Great Crossing's Malachi Moreno (24) come together after the No.1 Warhawks rallied to beat the much smaller but tough Spencer team in the first round of the 2024 UK Healthcare KHSAA Boys' Sweet 16 in Lexington. March 20, 2024 / Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Friday, Indiana men’s basketball fans got the news that was expected in regards to 7-foot recruit Malachi Moreno.

The Georgetown, Ky. native made his college choice public on Friday. To little surprise, Moreno chose Kentucky.

Surrounded by his teammates in the Great Crossing High School gym, with a sizable crowd on-hand, Moreno made his announcement.

“I’ll be taking my talents to the University of Kentucky,” Moreno said to loud cheers from the Kentucky faithful in the crowd.

Speculation over the last week was that Moreno was leaning towards the school closest to his home. The Kentucky campus is only 20 minutes away from Georgetown.

Kentucky hired Mark Pope as head coach from Brigham Young in the offseason after John Calipari left to coach Arkansas. Being able to bring in a highly-prized local recruit was a big get for Pope.

Having grown up in the shadow of the Wildcats, Moreno placed a lot of meaning in representing the commonwealth.

“It means a lot when you grow up in Kentucky. You always want to put on that Kentucky uniform. So to be able to go there and wear ‘Kentucky’ across my chest means the world.”

Indiana was one of eight finalists that Moreno listed in his social media posts. The Hoosiers are competing for Moreno with Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Moreno averaged 16 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks for Great Crossing. The 36-2 Warhawks made it to the Final Four of the KHSAA Sweet 16 in 2024.

Moreno was scheduled to make an official visit to Indiana on Sept. 20, but his college decision has made that visit unnecessary.

Indiana has been interested in Moreno for a long time. He was offered a scholarship in October 2022 and visited Bloomington in September of 2023.

Moreno is AAU teammates with Indiana targets Braylon Mullins and Trent Sisley on the Indiana Elite team from the Adidas 3SSB circuit. Mullins and Sisley are scheduled to visit Indiana on Sept. 20.

According to 247 Sports, Moreno is the 26th-rated recruit nationally in a composite of several different recruiting services. The high four-star standout is considered the second-ranked center nationally and the best player in the Class of 2025 from the commonwealth of Kentucky.

For the Class of 2025, Indiana will turn its attention to 7-footer Eric Reibe from Potomac, Md. Reibe will visit Indiana on Oct. 4-6.

Indiana is also interested in Chris Cenac Jr., a 6-foot-10 big man from New Orleans.

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