More new Wildcats move in, embrace mission for banner No. 9

Malachi Moreno, Braydon Hawthorne, and Reece Potter arrive in Lexington as Kentucky starts the chase for No. 9 again this season.

Five more Kentucky Wildcats officially arrived in Lexington on Thursday: Freshmen Malachi Moreno, sophomore transfer Kam Williams, freshman Jasper Johnson, freshman Braydon Hawthorne, and junior transfer Reece Potter. They join early arrivals Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, and Jayden Quaintance as Mark Pope’s new-look roster continues to take shape.

Kentucky men’s basketball posted a video on Twitter of Moreno and Potter introducing themselves before move-in— both making it clear they understand the assignment: bring home banner No. 9.

Moreno, a 7-foot center from Georgetown, recently led Great Crossing to a state title. The McDonald’s All-American and USA Basketball U19 camp invitee will wear No. 24 for the Wildcats. He averaged 21.5 points, 14.9 rebounds, and shot 72% from the field as a senior.

Potter, 7-foot-1, returns to his hometown after two seasons at Miami (OH). A former Lexington Catholic standout, he appeared in 56 games for the RedHawks, averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and shooting 36.7 percent from three as a sophomore.

Hawthorne had a full-circle moment where UK posted on Twitter: A “how it started vs. how it’s going” image showing him as a young boy sitting next to legendary coach Joe B. Hall’s statue, and now, doing it again before move-in. In the video, Hawthorne said he’s ready to get to work.

Alongside the other new Wildcats, two more arrived this afternoon and evening as Kam Williams and Jasper Johnson shared their goals for this upcoming season.

Williams, the Tulane transfer, was the first transfer commit of this portal class as he chose the Cats right in the thick of the NCAA Tournament. A player with legit NBA prospects going forward, watching his growth this year should be fun.

Johnson is the most familiar name to the BBN, as the top-40 prospect has been on the fanbase’s radar for quite some time. Now, it is official. We will finally get to see Johnson wear the blue and white.

With key pieces now in place, Coach Pope’s message is clear, and his players are ready to answer the call.