Kentuckian to Kentuckian, Malachi Moreno says 'there's some hatred there' with Travis Perry -- 'but he's my guy'

The thought of Travis Perry makes Malachi Moreno‘s blood boil and hearing his name makes his skin crawl. It’s hard to process standing in the same building as the Wildcat-turned-Rebel, but the freshman center is going to have to when Ole Miss comes to town this weekend.

Oh, you thought it had something to do with Perry’s offseason transfer away from Mark Pope and Kentucky? Nah, that isn’t the end of the world for Moreno, who has known and competed with and against the state’s all-time leading scorer for years. They were teammates on the adidas 3SSB circuit for AAU ball with Indiana Elite and remain good friends.

He just can’t get over the fact that Perry sent him home in the 2024 Sweet 16 KHSAA state tournament semifinals, going on to win the whole thing with Lyon County. Moreno went on to cut down the nets at Rupp Arena the following year and earned game MVP honors in that one, but he could’ve gone back-to-back.

For that, there will always be bad blood — but all in good fun.

“Unfortunately, he ended my season my junior year, so there’s some hatred there — but he’s my guy,” Moreno told KSR.

The 7-footer out of Georgetown led Great Crossing to the school’s first-ever state tournament in 2024 as a junior, averaging 16.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. Perry and Lyon County knocked them out in the Final Four before doing the same to Trent Noah and Harlan County in the championship game, the Kentucky signee and Mr. Basketball scoring a game-high 27 points in the MVP effort.

Moreno picked up where Perry left off the following year, defeating Bowling Green 71-61 in the 2025 title matchup, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. The Warhawks finished the season with a 35-4 record and closed on a 27-game winning streak.

When the Georgetown native signed with Kentucky, the plan was to team back up with Perry in Lexington the way they used to get after it with Indiana Elite — and maybe get back at the Lyon County star in practice. Instead, the Wildcat guard entered the portal at the deadline and made his way to Ole Miss to suit up for Chris Beard.

Now, Perry is making his return to Lexington and Rupp Arena as the enemy, not one of the program’s own. It’s Kentucky’s job as a team and Moreno’s as a player to send him back to Oxford regretting that move with a loss, but for the latter, it’s nothing personal and all love.

“Travis is my guy. We went to Italy together for the adidas Eurocamp, both from Kentucky,” he said of taking on Perry again. “… He’s at a place that he thought was the best fit for him. I’m happy that he’s thriving and he’s having fun.”

More than anything, he’s just going to have trouble getting used to seeing Perry wearing the color he grew up despising.

“Yeah, a hundred percent — it’ll definitely be weird seeing him in red,” Moreno joked. “I’ve never seen him in red before, but it’ll be a new sight.”

Perry’s sophomore campaign has not gone as planned, despite earning seven starts and averaging 15.5 minutes per contest compared to the 9.8 he played each night as a Wildcat in year one. He’s averaging 5.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per contest while shooting 36.4 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three and 87.5 percent at the line.

He is, however, coming off a 15-point, five-3-pointer performance in a 78-66 loss to Auburn on Tuesday. The 6-1 guard from Eddyville also went for 14 points on four threes in a 97-95 overtime win at No. 21 Georgia on January 14, plus 21 points on five threes against NC State on December 21. It hasn’t been consistent, but Perry has caught fire — and we know his Rupp Arena return will give him some fuel to work with.

How do you ruin his homecoming?

“Just catching him in transition,” Moreno said. “I mean, I played against him three out of my four years of high school, so I think I’ll be able to — maybe I can get a block here or there.”

For, say, Denzel Aberdeen, it’s just another individual matchup for him. Perry played in that Florida matchup to begin SEC play a year ago — he had three points and an assist in eight minutes — but he has no reason to feel anything personal about the local ties in this game.

He’s aware of the storyline, but his job is to shut him down — just like any opponent for any other team.

“We’ve gone over him on the scout a lot,” Aberdeen said. “I know he’s from here and everything. He’s going to have friends and family here. Very good player, very good shooter, as well. We’ve just got to be ready for him.”

No time for a feel-good story on Saturday.