Malachi Moreno: “You know where home is, Jasper”

The first order of business was to lock down a commitment from Malachi Moreno, the nation’s No. 1 overall center right out of Scott County. The second? Do the same with Jasper Johnson, a five-star guard out of Fayette County.

Mark Pope and the Wildcats knocked out stepped one to close out the week, Moreno deciding to stay home and play at Kentucky as the program’s first pledge in 2025.

“It’s like they say, there is no better place than home,” the top-25 prospect said in a commitment ceremony at Great Crossing High School on Friday.

Moreno is all in with his dream school, the one just 20 minutes away from home. Now he wants to help Kentucky build a star-studded recruiting class that now includes the best big man in high school basketball all thanks to him.

And he’s got a few names in mind.

“Ironically, I have a list of people I want to text after this,” Moreno said at his ceremony.

Among them? You guessed it, Jasper Johnson. If the kid from Georgetown can be a part of this, you better believe the kid from Lexington can, as well. That’s going to be Moreno’s pitch to the five-star guard.

“I mean, I talk to him every now and then,” he said. “I’m just constantly telling him, ‘There’s no place like home. Like, BBN loves us and we can say we got to wear Kentucky across our chest. It’s a dream we’ve both had since we were little kids.'”

The fans at, say, Alabama and North Carolina would certainly like the five-star guard. Would they love the Lexington native the way Big Blue Nation undoubtedly would, though?

Coming from someone who just turned down a number of high-profile programs to stay home, Moreno certainly doesn’t think so.

“We’re from Kentucky,” he told KSR. “We have the opportunity to put it on, we can wear Kentucky across our chests and people will be happy about it. We’re from here, you know what I mean? This is home.”

It’s not just Johnson, either. After securing his commitment, he’s going to keep going down the list to close out the 2025 class with a bang.

“I’m a highly-ranked recruit with a lot of connections,” Moreno said. “There is no better place, in my opinion.”