Malachi Moreno’s decision keeps an important Kentucky dream alive

In the very likely scenario that Malachi Moreno plays college basketball next season, it will be at Kentucky. That’s welcome news for the Cats, who return one of the most promising freshmen in the SEC, and it’s also proof that both Malachi and Mark Pope are committed to a plan near and dear to the Georgetown native’s heart: a legacy in Kentucky Blue.

As Jack Pilgrim detailed on KSR+, the discussions about Malachi’s future have been some of the biggest at the Joe Craft Center in recent weeks; however, Pope met with Malachi and his family early in the season, just as he was being thrown into the fire, to make it clear they are all in on his future. After Malachi exceeded expectations, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors, Pope and his staff followed through with a deal that reflects his value and upside, paving the way for year two.

Malachi will still test the NBA Draft waters, but that’s always been part of the plan. As long as he hears that a second year of college is in his best interest, he’ll be back to pursue another dream, one that he and Pope have discussed at length. One that he cares so deeply about that he fought off interest from other big-name programs throughout the season.

“[Pope] said the good thing about Malachi is, throughout this entire process, there’s going to be a clear path as to where he’s going to need to go next, as far as testing the waters, as far as staying here and grinding it out, whatever it may be, so there’s going to be a clear path,” Malachi’s older brother Michael told KSR last month.

“So, understand that you have not only a purpose here, but you have an opportunity to be one of the special ones that we have; I think that’s high praise, especially going into a season where there’s been a lot of uncertainty and understanding that being here has massive off-court effects as well, and massive off-court impact.”

We’ve seen Kentucky kids’ dreams of playing — and staying — at Kentucky die on more than one occasion. Last year, Travis Perry, the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history, transferred to Ole Miss for more playing time. Harlan native Trent Noah stuck around but had a disappointing sophomore season. Noah’s future in Lexington is still pending; however, Jasper Johnson, whose family’s roots run deep at the University of Kentucky, is headed elsewhere. To this date, Johnson is Pope’s highest-ranked recruit, but still, things didn’t work out as planned.

The fact that the dream is still alive for Malachi shows it can exist, even in the transfer-portal era. Pope knows how valuable that is for the program, especially as he embarks on his own make-or-break year.

“It means a lot for people to see a Kentucky kid, because it keeps the hope alive in a lot of young kids, right?” Michael said. “It keeps the hope alive in a lot of fans, young and old, that we can do this. We have something to be proud of here. So just that role, not as a program face, but just as a leader, one of the notables, I think that’s kind of where I expect him to really thrive.”

On the court, the work is already underway. Getting stronger is Malachi’s top priority this offseason, along with being more explosive off the bounce. Michael said absorbing contact more and finishing at the rim will be a key part of their training. After fine-tuning his game, they’ll look to expand it with a three-point shot, which could come up in discussions during the draft evaluation process.

“Obviously, we want to make a leap,” Michael said. “Instead of going into that sophomore slump, we want to make a leap in terms of impact, in terms of performance, in terms of winning. We want the expectation to maintain that.”

At his commitment ceremony at Great Crossing, Malachi said he was coming to Kentucky to hang banners. That didn’t happen in year one, which will only drive him harder in year two.

“We’re going to compete for SEC championships, we’re going to go back to the Final Four,” Michael said. “Like, you want that as a player, but in his eyes, like he wants to be responsible. It’s not just, hey, I’m on a team that went to the Final Four. It’s like, hey, me and the guys, we took this group to the Final Four. That’s what he wants.”

And thankfully, it’s still on the table.