History is About to be Made:Mark Pope is on the cusp of doing something UK hasn’t done in more than a decade
Fast-break points from the late summer grind: 21. Malachi Moreno. When the Great Crossing High School center committed to play men’s basketball for Kentucky on Friday, it did more than give new UK head man Mark Pope his first class of 2025 recruit.
20. An in-state trio. Assuming Kentucky’s current homegrown freshmen Travis Perry (Lyon County) and Trent Noah (Harlan County) return for their sophomore seasons, the addition of Moreno in 2025-26 will give UK three recruited, scholarship players from the commonwealth on its roster.
19. A milestone more than a decade in making. The last time UK men’s hoops had three recruited, scholarship players from the state of Kentucky on the same team was 2013-14, when Jon Hood (Madisonville), Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central) and Derek Willis (Bullitt East) were all members of a team that reached the 2014 NCAA championship game.
18. Jasper Johnson. Depending on which recruiting guru you trust, Kentucky is either making a late charge or continues to lag behind perceived favorites Alabama and North Carolina in the recruitment of the class of 2025 guard, a former star at Woodford County High School.
17. An in-state four. For what it is worth, the last time UK men’s hoops had four recruited, scholarship players from the state of Kentucky on the same roster was 2005-06 — Rajon Rondo (Louisville’s Eastern High School through his junior season), Patrick Sparks (Muhlenberg North), Brandon Stockton (Glasgow) and Jared Carter (Scott County).
16. Mr. Basketball favorite. Malachi Moreno will enter the 2024-25 season as the favorite to win Kentucky Mr. Basketball honors.
