“I believe that Malachi Moreno is the best center in the country in this class.” – UK head coach Mark Pope.

The BBN is still celebrating the huge win over Duke on Tuesday night, but Kentucky Wildcats fans also have plenty to celebrate on Wednesday as two UK commits signed their National Letters of Intent.

With the college basketball early signing period underway, Mark Pope and his staff have secured the signatures of both Kentucky boys, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, making their commitments official.

Johnson signed his NLI in Atlanta during an OTE signing day event, while Moreno signed his at Great Crossing.

UK actually announced the signing of Moreno with comments from Mark Pope.

“I believe that Malachi Moreno is the best center in the country in this class,” Pope said in a press release. “He is an elite-level passer with incredible tracking vision. He has a ferocity around the rim in terms of ball protection and he is willing to engage physically. He is going to grow into an elite-level shooter. And, more important than all of those incredible things, is that he gets a little teary-eyed when he walks into Rupp Arena because he knows what this place is.”

“Growing up in Kentucky, you always wanted to put on that Kentucky uniform,” Moreno said in a press release. “Just being able to go there and wear ‘Kentucky’ across my chest means the world to me.”

Coach Pope and his staff have had great success on the recruiting trail throughout their first few months on the job. They will now turn their attention to landing a commitment and signature from 5-star forward Caleb Wilson.

One should also safely assume that 4-star point guard commit Acaden Lewis will sign during this early period, giving the Cats three signings to kick off the 2025 class.

Welcome to the BBN officially, Jasper and Malachi!