Draft:Malachi Moreno
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{{AFC comment|1=Only one source from an independent outlet and not showing WP:SIGCOV Yoblyblob (Talk) :) 23:50, 25 June 2025 (UTC)}}
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{{Short description|American basketball player}}
{{Draft topics|biography|sports|north-america}}
{{AfC topic|other}}
{{Notability|1=Sports|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Malachi Moreno
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| position = Center
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 230
| league = Southeastern Conference
| team = Kentucky Wildcats
| number =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2006|10|24}}
| birth_place = Georgetown, Kentucky, U.S.
| high_school = Great Crossing High School
| college =
- Kentucky (2025–present)
| draft_year =
| career_start =
| years1 =
| team1 =
| years2 =
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| highlights =
- Kentucky Mr. Basketball (2025)
- McDonald's All-American (2025)
- KHSAA Sweet 16 MVP (2025)
}}
Malachi Luis Moreno (born October 24, 2006) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference.
High school career
Moreno currently attends Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, Kentucky where he is currently a 4-star center. As a freshman at Great Crossing in 2022, he averaged 11.9 points per game to go along with 12 rebounds per game in 34 games played. He improved in his sophomore year, bumping up his points per game to 14.8. As a senior in his final year at Great Crossing, he averaged 21.5 points per game to go along with 14.9 rebounds per game, leading Great Crossing to their first-ever KHSAA title in program history. He was named the KHSAA Sweet 16 MVP.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wkyt.com/2025/03/30/great-crossing-wins-programs-first-khsaa-boys-basketball-title/|title=Great Crossing wins programs first KHSAA boys basketball title|first=Lyndsey|last=Gough|date=March 30, 2025|website=https://www.wkyt.com}} for his efforts.
In January 2025, Moreno was named a McDonald's All-American{{Cite web|url=https://ukathletics.com/news/2025/01/27/malachi-moreno-earns-spot-at-2025-mcdonalds-all-american-game/|title=Malachi Moreno Earns Spot at 2025 McDonald's All American Game|date=January 27, 2025|website=UK Athletics}} playing for Team East.
College career
Moreno signed{{Cite web|url=https://ukathletics.com/news/2024/11/13/kentucky-native-malachi-moreno-signs-agreement-with-uk/|title=Kentucky Native Malachi Moreno Signs Agreement with UK|date=November 13, 2024|website=UK Athletics}} with the Kentucky Wildcats on August 16, 2024 to play for head coach Mark Pope. Pope stated that Moreno is an "elite-level passer with incredible tracking vision." and that "He has a ferocity around the rim in terms of ball protection and he is willing to engage physically."
Moreno is listed as a top 3 center by all major recruiting services, including On3{{Cite web|url=https://www.on3.com/db/rankings/industry-player/basketball/2025/|title=2025 Industry Top Basketball Center Recruits|website=www.on3.com}} and 247Sports{{Cite web|url=https://247sports.com/season/2025-basketball/recruitrankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool&Position=C|title=2025 Top Center Recruits|website=247Sports}}
Personal life
Moreno is the son of Sarah and Enelio Moreno. Moreno has an older brother, named Michael, who also played Division I basketball at Eastern Kentucky{{Cite web|url=https://ekusports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/michael-moreno/9583|title=Michael Moreno - Men's Basketball|website=Eastern Kentucky University Athletics}}, where he became the first player in EKU history to score at least 1,500 points and grab 900 total rebounds.
References
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