6-11 Great Crossing big man Malachi Moreno blowing up as national recruit

Travis Perry isn’t the only Kentucky high school basketball player hauling in Power Five scholarship offers. There’s another talented prospect not far away from Lexington that is drawing even more attention on the national stage.

Malachi Moreno, a 6-foot-11 big man with a 7-foot-1 wingspan out of Georgetown (KY) Great Crossing, is blowing up across the country. Only a high school junior, Moreno is already considered one of the top recruits from the 2025 class. The On3 Industry Ranking has him slotted as the 49th-best prospect in his class and the best from Kentucky. On3’s own rankings are even higher on Moreno, tabbing him at No. 32 overall.

But if the rankings don’t convince you, just check out the offers he’s been announcing recently. Alabama offered on Thursday, Auburn did the same on Wednesday, and Penn State on Monday. Florida and Creighton also offered during the month of August. Additionally, Moreno holds scholarships from the likes of NC State, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and Michigan — all coming since the start of April — along with Xavier, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Purdue, and Missouri.

For those keeping score, that’s six Southeastern Conference offers in hand. While Kentucky has yet to extend an official offer, there is contact going on between the two sides behind the scenes. Moreno recently told On3’s Jamie Shaw that he has been “talking a lot” with UK assistant coaches Orlando Antigua and Chuck Martin.

His older brother, Michael Moreno, is a 6-foot-7 senior forward at Eastern Kentucky University.

Excited & humbled to receive an offer from the University of Alabama! Thank you to Coach Oats, Coach Murphy, & the rest of the staff for believing in me! Go Crimson Tide! #RollTide 🐘❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/IeY8hLJwHA

— Malachi Moreno (@malachimoreno24) August 25, 2023

So where did this boom in popularity come from for Moreno? He was already a well-known prospect around the state after a terrific sophomore campaign with Great Crossing. The versatile center averaged 14.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.8 blocks per game for the Warhawks, which finished the 2022-23 season with a 28-6 overall record. It wasn’t until this summer that Moreno established himself as a legitimate four-star recruit though.

Suiting up on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, Moreno shined against AAU competition for Indiana Elite. During the Midwest Live Period in June, he averaged 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks across three games. He was even one of just 20 players invited to Italy for the Adidas Eurocamp that same month.

This summer’s hard work is already beginning to pay off. According to Ethan Bock of The Portal Report, Moreno has five visits planned for next month: Indiana (9/2), Arkansas (9/9), Michigan (9/16), Notre Dame (9/23), and Tennessee (9/30). His trip to Indiana will be an official visit while the rest are unofficials.

“I’m really looking for a program that will be a good fit for me,” Moreno told On3. “That includes a coaching staff that will get me better, develop me on the court, and get me better off the court. I want to play in the league.”

As Moreno prepares for his junior season this fall, we’ll be keeping an eye on him to see if Kentucky decides to go all-in on the homegrown product.