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.

15. Three straight Mr. Basketballs for UK ? If Moreno is named 2025 Mr. Basketball, he will follow Travis Perry (2024, Lyon County) and Reed Sheppard (2023, North Laurel) as Kentucky Mr. Basketball winners picking UK.

14. First time in two decades . The last time one school signed three straight winners of the Kentucky Mr. Basketball award directly out of high school was in the early 1990s when Louisville inked Tick Rogers (1992, Hart County), Jason Osborne (1993, Male) and Elton Scott (1994, Marion County).

13. Once before . The only time to date when UK signed the winner of the Kentucky Mr. Basketball award in three straight years was in the late 1980s — Rex Chapman (1986, Apollo), John Pelphrey (1987, Paintsville) and Richie Farmer (1988, Clay County).

12. Kenny Brooks . A lot has gone right for the new Kentucky women’s basketball coach since he left Virginia Tech after last season. However, the prospects for the coach’s first UK season became a bit more uncertain last month.

11. Down two starters? When Kentucky announced July 29 that Penn graduate transfer Jordan Obi and Oregon State transfer Dominika Paurova were both “out indefinitely” due to “lower leg injuries,” it removed two potential starters for Brooks’ first UK team.

10. Danny O’Neil . Remember the former Indianapolis Cathedral High School quarterback who was heavily linked with Kentucky in recruiting during the year (2022) that Rich Scangarello spent as UK offensive coordinator?

9. A college starter . As a true freshman, O’Neil has just been named the starting quarterback at San Diego State by new Aztecs coach Sean Lewis.

8. Deuce Hogan . The former Kentucky backup quarterback transferred to New Mexico State after last season and entered camp as part of a seven-man battle royale to be the Aggies’ starting QB.

7. The final two . Last week, new NMSU coach Tony Sanchez told the Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News that Hogan and sophomore Parker Awad have emerged as the top two contenders to start at quarterback when the Aggies open their season Aug. 31 against Southeast Missouri State.

6. Kaiya Sheron . The ex-UK backup QB from Somerset High School, who started in place of an injured Will Levis in Kentucky’s 24-14 loss to South Carolina in 2022, is now at UT Martin.

5. Behind a returning starter? For Sheron to earn the starting job when the Skyhawks open their season at No. 17 Kansas State on Aug. 31, he will have to beat out an incumbent starter, Kinkead Dent, who threw for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2023.

4. Eric Wolford 2.0 . One job for the new/old Kentucky offensive line coach in the initial year of his return to UK is developing depth. At the Wildcats football media day, I asked Wolford about some of the young linemen in the UK developmental pipeline.

3. Koby Keenum . Of the 6-foot-4, 302-pound redshirt freshman center, Wolford said “Koby is, right now, the second center. I always tell him he’s one snap away (from playing). He’s got to continue to progress and do the things we need him to do, but I think he’s got a chance to get in there and be the guy if we have an injury.”

2. Aba Selm . The 6-4, 303-pound true freshman offensive guard “has definitely changed his body since he has been here,” Wolford said of the former Simon Kenton High School star. “He’s been here a short period of time but I think he’s got a chance to be a guy who, potentially, works his way into the (playing) rotation (this year) if he continues to progress. He’s talented.”

1. Malachi Wood . A 6-8, 320-pound redshirt freshman, Wood “is a guy who has length, obviously,” Wolford said of the ex-Madison Central standout. “He’s gotten stronger. He’s gotten bigger. … I think he’s got a chance to be a guy who can step up at that left tackle (position) if we had an injury. Who knows where it goes from there?”

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