'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Malachi Moreno, the 7-foot center from Georgetown, Kentucky announced his commitment to his home state school, the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday. The four-star recruit chose Mark Pope's team over other top-tier programs such as Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Moreno announced his commitment to Kentucky via Kentucky Sports Radio:
"I’m going to the Big Blue and I’m going there because I felt like it was the right fit for me," Moreno said. "There is no better place than home."
Trending
The center became the Wildcats' first commitment from the class of 2025. Moreno had scheduled official visits to multiple schools, including the Wildcats in the coming months, but decided to move up his commitment date before taking all the visits.
The Kentucky native is ranked No. 25 nationally and is the best player at his position from the class of 2025, as per On3 Industry Rankings. He is also the best overall prospect from the state of Kentucky.
Malachi Moreno averaged 16.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game during his junior year. So far in his high school career, he has averaged 15.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg and 1.6 apg.
Malachi Moreno talks about his decision to commit to Kentucky Wildcats
Moreno joined the Kentucky Wildcats as their first commitment from the class of 2025. The four-star recruit talked about his decision to join the Wildcats and his reasons behind it (via On3.com):
"Just so I can be committed to my dream school. I want BBN to know I’m here for business and they have the whole season to watch me work, see my improvement and see that he’s really about getting this next banner," Moreno said.
"Being 20 minutes down the road, I watched them every single time they played. Just seeing the success they were able to have just showed me how much I wanted to play there. It was always my dream. Now I’m able to turn that dream into a reality," he added.
Kentucky's class of 2025 is currently ranked No.13 in the country, as per 247Sports. Notably, Mark Pope has extended 18 offers to some of the best high school players in the country.
