Just a year after Jasper Johnson earned MVP honors in the Chris Brickley Invitational, his future Wildcat teammate and fellow Kentucky native Malachi Moreno represented the Bluegrass state well in the same event.
Johnson went for a game-high 32 points on 8-9 from three last go-round. This time, Moreno finished with a near-double-double, going for 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one block in the third annual event in Chicago.
Moreno was joined by the likes of Chris Cenac Jr., Meleek Thomas, Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Trey McKenney, Eric Reibe, Sadiq White Jr., Kaden Magwood, Jerry Easter II and Jamier Jones among incoming college freshmen, plus elite recruits in 2026, 2027 and 2028 such as Anthony Thompson, Qayden Samuels, Cameron Holmes, Luca Foster, Ryan Hampton and Kameron Mercer, among others.
Brown Jr. — a Louisville signee — earned MVP honors this year after scoring 29 points.
Johnson took home the MVP trophy in 2024 taking on a field that included the likes of Darryn Peterson, Jeremiah Fears, Caleb Wilson, Tyran Stokes, Ian Jackson, Rob Wright and Jalil Bethea.
Moreno’s impressive showing in Chicago comes after being named to the McDonald’s All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit in April. Before that, the Georgetown native earned Mr. Basketball honors in Kentucky while also leading Great Crossing to the school’s first Sweet 16 championship, cutting down the nets inside Rupp Arena.
Malachi Moreno might be more ready than people think.
Note that this is against the top players in the 2025 class! #BBN
fromthesidelines_ TT pic.twitter.com/7mZY97Ceom
— Ethan Grantz (@EthanGrantz99) May 11, 2025
NEW: 5-star Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno causing problems for other top recruits ahead of the Breckley Invitational.
If this game sounds familiar, it’s because Jasper Johnson dropped 32 points going 8/9 from three last year winning MVP.
The game is later tonight! pic.twitter.com/7p5YRI6OOL
— Casey (@BleedBlueCasey) May 10, 2025
Now, he’s just a few weeks away from making his way to campus for move-in and summer workouts ahead of his career as a Wildcat.
“Malachi Moreno is probably the best center in all of high school basketball, and he fits us also,” Pope said of Moreno after he put pen to paper with Kentucky. “Every time I see him, he’s grown a little bit bigger than me, and he likes to rub it in. … He’s a special, special human being. He’s massive, and he’s an elite level passer, and he’s got — you meet him and you think, Oh, this guy is just the nicest, biggest dude I’ve ever met, but when he gets in the fray, in the mix, there’s a little bit of violence and determination that comes out of him that was really fun for me to see. … We’re really excited.”
The Cats got a good one.
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