I’m gonna make sure I puts this (IU shirt) on.’ Malachi Moreno making his commitment…..
Malachi Moreno wasted little time recruiting possible future teammates to Lexington. Before he could even finish up his decision ceremony — where he chose Kentucky over the likes of Indiana, Ohio State, Louisville, and more — the in-state star made a quick pitch to five-star guard Jasper Johnson.
But Johnson isn’t the only relevant Kentucky target Moreno is looking to bring with him to college. He’s also recruiting his longtime AAU teammate, four-star guard Braylon Mullins, who has the Wildcats among his group of finalists with an official visit to campus set for late October. Moreno says the two have already discussed playing together at the next level too.
“We did have that in mind,” Moreno, who was still rocking a Kentucky shirt that he revealed during his announcement, told KSR’s Jack Pilgrim shortly after committing to UK. “I knew he was going to be great after — I mean he blew up the last three summers, I just knew he was going to be great. Once we had similar offers I was like ‘Yo, we actually have an opportunity to be college teammates…’ I’m gonna make sure he puts this (Kentucky shirt) on.”
Mullins is officially down to a Top 10 consisting of Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, Tennessee, and UConn. He’s already taken his OV to UConn and has six more scheduled throughout the fall. Notably, Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope will receive the final visit.
Michigan: September 7th
North Carolina: September 14th
Indiana: September 20th
Duke: October 4th
Tennessee: October 19th
Kentucky: October 25th
“Best shot-maker in the country. Yeah, I’d put my money on it too,” Moreno said of Mullins. “I don’t think I was ever at a game where he wasn’t coming down the court, dribbling the ball, and shooting it from the volleyball line. Shoot it from the volleyball line and it’s bottom of the net. I could comfortably let him shoot it and get back on defense. That’s how I felt.”
7-footer Malachi Moreno, top-25 overall recruit, stays home and chooses Kentucky
Moreno isn’t exaggerating either — Mullins might just be the best pure shooter in the country. Playing alongside Moreno for Indiana Elite on the adidas 3SSB circuit, the 6-foot-5 sniper connected on 47.3 percent of his shots from deep across 17 games played during the spring/summer. Mullins isn’t shy to let it fly either, averaging 7.7 three-point attempts per outing. This all helped him average 19.4 points per contest on his way to being one of the most efficient scorers in 3SSB.
But Moreno was pretty good too. He averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.9 assists per outing on 63.9 percent overall shooting for Indiana Elite, which came up just short in the 3SSB championship game in July. Together, Moreno and Mullins would form a compatible pairing at Kentucky — and equally as important, they would give Pope a couple of true studs to start his first real recruiting class.
“It’s gonna kill a lot of teams if (Mullins is) able to put this (Kentucky shirt) on,” Moreno added. “There’s not much you can do if we’re in a pick-and-roll together because you have to step up on him, but if he leaves me I’m gonna go dunk it but if you leave him he’s gonna shoot it and he’s gonna make it. In my opinion, we’re the best duo in the country.”
Sounds like a convincing pitch to me. Hopefully, Mullins feels the same way.
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WATCH: Jasper Johnson shot the lights out at Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero Camp
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Photo by Zack Geoghegan | Kentucky Sports Radio
With Malachi Moreno on the board for Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope, all eyes now turn to Jasper Johnson.
Johnson, a five-star 2025 recruit ranked No. 11 overall by the On3 Industry Ranking, is expected to be the next domino to fall with a decision coming by the end of August. It’s no secret that the top teams involved for the Lexington native are Kentucky, North Carolina, and Alabama. The last couple of months of this recruitment have been a roller coaster, to say the least.
But Johnson didn’t let the outside noise affect his game. The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter was invited to Damian Lillard’s Formula Zero Elite Camp, which began on Wednesday and wraps up today in Phoenix, AZ. Overtime Elite — where Johnson will spend his final high school season — was able to obtain some footage of him lighting the nets on fire with Lillard in attendance.
Watch below as Johnson daps up Lillard before putting on a show.
Johnson was one of 15 high school players invited to the camp. He was joined by a few other Kentucky targets, including five-star 2025 PG Mikel Brown Jr., four-star 2025 SF Tounde Yessoufou, four-star 2025 PG Acaden Lewis, and four-star 2026 SG Ikenna Alozie. A handful of current college players were invited to be camp counselors as well, including former Kentucky big man Aaron Bradshaw, who is now at Ohio State.
But back to Johnson for a second. His recruitment is quickly coming to an end. Moreno already made his public pitch to Johnson shortly after committing to Kentucky on Friday. The Wildcats appear to be in good shape heading down the home stretch, too. In fact, Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ posted some significant news on Johnson’s recruitment over on KSBoard that you don’t want to miss.
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