Kentucky basketball lands the #1 center in the 2025 class

Mark Pope got the 2025 Kentucky basketball recruiting class started with a bang.

Great Crossing's Malachi Moreno (24) and teammates mob Vince Dawson (1) in jubilation after Dawson's last second shot lifted the Warhawks 48-46 over Newport at Thursday's 2023 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass holiday basketball tournament at Fairdale High School. Dec. 21, 2023 / Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats just landed an elite prospect in the 2025 class. The number one center in the class, Malachi Moreno, just picked the Kentucky Wildcats over schools like Indiana, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Moreno is ranked as the 26th best player in the 2025 class according to 247Sports composite rankings.

What makes this commitment so special for Kentucky is that Moreno is from Kentucky attending Great Crossing High School in Georgetown. It is always important to keep the elite homegrown talent in the state, and Coach Pope was able to get this done.

Moreno is a seven-footer who does precisely what Coach Pope wants a big to do on the floor. He is fluid with the basketball around the rim and can pass. Moreno is going to be an elite big for the Wildcats, and he has unquestionable NBA upside.

From day one, Coach Pope made Moreno a priority, and landing the best center in the 2025 class proves he will be able to recruit the big dogs out of high school.

Scouting Malachi Moreno:

▪️Skilled big with significant size;

▪️Can play in various offensive actions & spots on floor;

▪️Good hands, footwork, & understanding of game;

▪️Reliable defensive rim presence & rebounder.

🎥 @JeffRabjohns

Full highlights: https://t.co/TyIvdTz8Om pic.twitter.com/O36jGKHEAD

— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) August 16, 2024

Here is the scouting report on Moreno from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports.

"Moreno has game changing size in the lane and a good skill set for a true center. He’s not just one of the better big men in the country, but also one who can easily adapt to offensive structure, and play from various spots on the floor in different offensive schemes. He has good hands, understands how to seal inside, soft touch on his jump hook, can turn both shoulders when he’s deep enough in the post, and dunk with both hands around the rim. He’s both a good dribbler and passer for his size. He can facilitate for the elbow or high post, play out of dribble-hand-off action, throw backdoor passes off the dribble, and even start the break himself with a couple of dribbles. There’s even a bit of untapped shooting potential, although he needs to become a more consistent free-throw shooter (56% in 3SSB play)."

- Adam Finkelstein