There’s No Me Without Him: The Brother Behind Malachi Moreno’s Rise at Kentucky
It was a scene that had played out a million times, but on that day in June 2025, it felt different. Malachi Moreno had just moved into his new home at the University of Kentucky, only 20 minutes from his old home in Georgetown. The seven-foot freshman and his older brother Michael celebrated the only way they know how: basketball.
With their mother, Sarah, watching, Malachi and Michael laced it up and held a three-point contest on the practice court at the Joe Craft Center.
"That was really cool to watch," Sarah Moreno told KSR. "Just to see the dynamic from when Malachi was always following Michael, and then now Michael has graduated from college, and now Malachi is coming through college. Just to watch them together and how much they love each other, and they’re super competitive."
The predictions may change, but so far, the result has always been the same.
"I’m gonna keep it brutally honest: I have yet to win," Malachi told KSR. "But I think that’s kind of just how it is, being a little brother. You always want to beat your big brother."
"He still can’t beat me, but he’s close," Michael said. "He’s very, very close."
Michael won that day, not entirely a surprise considering he’s the best three-point shooter in Eastern Kentucky University history; however, the chase continues, which Michael is counting on as Malachi’s star continues to rise. After leading Great Crossing to its first state title, Malachi came to Kentucky thinking he’d be a role player in his freshman season, just to earn a starting job six games in. He steadily improved throughout the year and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, one of the most promising rookies in the league.
There is more work to be done in Lexington, but the NBA isn’t too far off on the horizon. That’s quite a journey for a kid from Georgetown, one that is only possible because of the person whose shadow he used to walk in and the sacrifices he made along the way.
"His legacy is what built me," Malachi said of Michael. "So, anytime somebody brings it up, I say there’s no me without him."
If you saw Michael Moreno as a kid, there was a good chance you saw Malachi, too. Even though the brothers are six years apart in age, Malachi was constantly by Michael’s side – sometimes to Michael’s chagrin.
"Malachi had to be everywhere Michael was," Sarah said. "And Michael was like, Mom, does Malachi really need to be everywhere I am? But he was really good about it."
Brothers being brothers, they were competitive in everything, Malachi desperate to get the best of Michael whenever he could. Monday Night Raw was appointment viewing, the brothers fighting over their favorite wrestlers and holding their own matches. Because he was smaller, Malachi thought he had the freedom to do whatever it took to take down Michael; one night, he went a little too far.
"He used to jump on me while I would sleep. And one day, his heel hit me right in my face, and I got up, and it was the first time I was like, I’m gonna put real hands on him this time. Well, needless to say, we didn’t get to fight much more after that, just because he didn’t try me anymore. He didn’t sneak-attack me anymore. It was really, really kind of squashed from there."
Even at the risk of losing "cool points," Michael let Malachi tag along with his friends to the point he became a member of the pack.
"Luckily, I had good enough friends who wanted to be around him as well, and they thought it was funny, because he was the kid who, when we would get in the car, we would turn on some music, he would put the sunglasses on and kind of put his arm out the window, and that’s who he was. He was like, I’m gonna do my best to fit in."
"When I was a kid, we were driving around late at night just listening to every music we could," Malachi said. "I remember there were some songs we would play every time, and we would know word for word."
Drake and Playboi Carti became the soundtrack of Malachi’s childhood because of those drives, Michael not feeling the need to censor his playlists just because Malachi was six years younger.
"I think that was the moment when we started to get close, just when I started driving. I had to take him around. I was like, I’m not gonna change who I am or what I’m doing just because he’s in the car. You know, I’m gonna listen to the same music. I’m gonna call my friends the same way, like, but he’s just gonna be with me, and that’s just how it’s gonna be."
After school, Malachi would go to Scott County High School to watch Michael practice. Even though he played in youth leagues, Malachi didn’t have a huge interest in basketball at the time, content to just run around the gym while his older brother practiced, get loose balls, or hand out water bottles.
"I think he was just happy to be around," Michael said. "As a kid, he was interested in cartoons and riding his bike. He was a typical kid. So for him, I think over time, he was going to be interested [in basketball]. It just was a matter of when."
As Michael’s basketball career got more serious, Malachi really didn’t have a choice but to pay more attention. He started to play around on the court during Michael’s practices, which is when it became clear he wasn’t just any other kid. Billy Hicks, Michael’s coach at Scott County, took notice.
"Obviously, coming to the gym when I was playing, he’s getting in the drills because my coach wanted him to be," Michael said. "He’s always thinking future, always thinking next steps. And Malachi, at that time, was the future of the city."
With his size, Malachi excelled inside, pulling down rebounds and blocking shots with ease. He had good ball-handling skills, too, able to take the ball off the glass and down the court, even dribbling with his off hand. All of this from a kid who was just in the gym because he wanted to hang out with his big brother.
"Somehow, he always knew when to put his hands up," Michael said. "He somehow always knew to get his hands on the ball. He somehow always knew when it was time to contest a shot. And I just, I never understood it, because as a kid, I swear he was so different than I was. He had way less interest, but the ability was always there for whatever reason."
Malachi and Michael started playing together more often, Michael using one-on-ones as lessons. Their games would take place in the Scott County gym, the Morenos’ driveway, the neighbor’s driveway, or even in the street. As Sarah put it, "If there was a basketball place, they were going to play basketball."
On the court at Scott County, Michael led the Cardinals to three straight 11th Region titles and back-to-back state runner-up finishes. During his four years, Scott County went 132-18. The 6’7” forward scored 2,383 career varsity points and broke a 40-year-old Scott County record with 1,317 career rebounds. He was named First Team All-State three times and was a finalist for the 2019 Kentucky Mr. Basketball award.
"It was awesome," Malachi said of watching Micahel become a Scott County legend. "He kind of paved the way for me to get into basketball, just being dragged around all his AAU tournaments and everything, so I think I was seeing how much fun he was having with the game, so I thought I would give it a try, too, and then I fell in love with it, and it’s where I am today."
When it came time for the next step, Michael had plenty of Division I offers to choose from, including one from Iowa. He eventually settled on a final three of Eastern Kentucky, Evansville, and Wofford. He, his parents, and his high school coach sat down at the dining room table and ranked the three by several factors, ranging from academics and athletics to his relationship with the coaching staff and even how nice the dorms were. When they added it all up, Eastern Kentucky won out, likely due to one significant variable: distance from home.
Richmond is only 40 minutes away from Georgetown. For Michael, that was a comfort not only for himself but for the rest of his family, specifically Malachi, who was about to start middle school. Michael already liked Eastern Kentucky; the opportunity to continue to be there for his brother was too good to pass up. By doing so, Michael knew he could set another example for Malachi, a responsibility his parents impressed upon him at an early age.
"There are certain times you have to make a sacrifice. There are certain times you have to – you know, it’s not uncool, it’s not overly selfless, it’s not wrong to make a decision based on somebody else. And so for him, I don’t really want to live his life through a cell phone. I don’t want to live it through videos, through videos, through phone calls."
Michael’s decision was music to Malachi’s ears.
"Oh, he was very excited, because he was just really starting into basketball at that point, and so he knew, oh, yay, Michael’s going to be around," Sarah recalled. "You could tell that it was almost like a sense of relief, like, I still have my big brother around to help me and guide me and show me the way, and show me the ropes and those kinds of things."
"For him, I think he had a moment where it’s like, okay, I can still lean on him, you know, he’s not going away. He’ll still be here if I need him," Michael said."
Michael committed to EKU in May 2019. He got even more time with his family when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic the next year. Michael stayed with his family in Georgetown, which led to more driveway battles with Malachi, who was growing like a weed. In the summer between seventh and eighth grade, a growth spurt shot Malachi from 6’4” to 6’10”. That’s when their games took on a different tone.
"There would be a lot of trash talk, be very, very confrontational, very physical, a lot of hard fouls," Malachi said. "But then it was all fun and games, so we were just having fun with it, and I think that kind of helped us fall in love with the game even more."
"Just being around him at that age, like you get to 13 years old, you’re 6-8. I mean, nobody around you is that size, but he’s able to make layups offhand. Most kids just try to shoot over everybody. He’s trying to score around people. He’s trying to work on his jump shot. He’s trying to do all these things that typical 13-year-olds don’t think about doing, and also, typical 6-8, 6-9, kids don’t try to do either."
Even though Malachi was now taller, Michael still had one advantage: a three-point shot. At Scott County, Michael was asked to play inside because of his height, but at EKU, he got to focus on his shooting. He had to use it on occasion to beat his younger, albeit taller, brother.
"I think a couple of times he got lucky that he can actually shoot the ball and I can’t," Malachi said. "So, I think he would win off of a couple threes, and then he would be like, ‘If I can’t hit threes, I’m not gonna beat you.’ So I think that’s kind of just been his realization."
Michael would come to Georgetown whenever he could for extra workouts with Malachi, and Malachi would stay with him at EKU, too. Michael was thriving in Richmond both on the court and off. He found his future wife, Jade. He was killing it in the classroom. He broke several program records, including three-pointers made (334) and games played (161). He is the only player in EKU history with 1,500 or more points and 900 or more rebounds. Seeing him reach new heights only made Malachi want to do it too.
"It was a big shoes to fill, and me, I always like to achieve a challenge. Every year, I always set a goal for myself, and I try to go achieve that goal. So I think just having that goal of, oh, he was a legend, but I’m gonna try to be better, and I’m gonna try, and I’m gonna work hard. I think that kind of just drove my passion for getting better, and gave me that work ethic that I needed."
Malachi Moreno could have easily followed in his brother’s footsteps at Scott County; however, there was a new school in town. Great Crossing High School opened in 2019, just one mile down the road from Scott County High School. Malachi seized on the opportunity to chart his own path.
"[Michael] had an outstanding career at Scott County, and with Great Crossing being the brand new school, I kind of just wanted to go to Great Crossing and make a name for myself, put that school on the map. And then just, I got competitive, and I tried to beat all his records that he had at Scott County. I wanted to have them at Great Crossing."
During Malachi’s freshman season, his mother made him lasagna the night before a game. The next day, he recorded his first triple-double. A superstition was born from the remnants of Sarah’s pantry: rotini noodles, tomato soup, and cheese, aka "Poor Man’s Lasagna."
"He wanted lasagna this one night, and I didn’t have lasagna noodles. I didn’t have the sauce that I needed. I didn’t have anything that I needed other than I had cheese. We always have cheese in the house. I was like, Okay, what am I going to do? So, I kind of was just looking through the things that I had, and I was like, Okay, let me try this. Let me try this."
Malachi hasn’t played a game without it since, Sarah even making it in hotel rooms across the Midwest and South as Malachi played for Indiana Elite on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. One of the best batches was made in Atlanta in the summer after Malachi’s freshman year at the Super Sophomore Camp. Most of the top prospects in the 2025 class were there, including Caleb Wilson, a 6’7”, 180 lbs. power forward who had already had offers from high major programs. An Atlanta kid, Wilson was expected to own the spotlight at the event. Few people there even knew who Malachi was.
"It’s like, okay, well, this is the other biggest kid in the gym; let’s see what happens," Michael said. "And Malachi more than holds his own. He competes his butt off, and he walks away being one of the best players in the camp, one of the most talked about players in the camp. And it’s like, okay, well, maybe he’s got a shot."
Going toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s top prospects lit a fire under Malachi. It also opened Michael’s eyes to just how good his brother could be. It’s one thing to be a successful in-state player, like Michael, but Malachi might be University of Kentucky good.
"Just his drive to want to compete, I think, was what kind of shifted that for me, and just being as big as he is. We all in our hearts want Kentucky kids to succeed, and we all want them to succeed at Kentucky if possible, but you have to still be realistic. There are tons of kids in the state who dream of playing here, but their games are better suited for other opportunities. And that’s the nicest way to put it."
In turn, Michael doubled down, too, helping his brother fine-tune his game, all while still pursuing his own career at Eastern Kentucky. When Malachi had a breakthrough summer on the 3SSB circuit after his sophomore year and big offers started rolling in, Michael kept his brother in check.
"He said, ‘You really put yourself on the map, but now, it doesn’t matter. You’ve gotta continue to push yourself. You’ve gotta continue to get better.’ And I think that kind of just stuck with me, just because it was a crucial moment in the recruiting process for me, and having those words of affirmation that what I did this summer doesn’t matter anymore, and what I have in front of me does. It just, it drove me to strive for what’s in front of me."
Excited & humbled to receive an offer from the University of Kentucky! Thank you to Coach Calipari, Coach Antigua, Coach Martin, and the rest of the staff for believing in me! Go Cats! #BBN (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/8xlrHqoNCA (https://t.co/8xlrHqoNCA)
A few months later, in October 2023, Malachi earned an offer from the University of Kentucky. Michael was by his side as John Calipari and his staff shared the good news.
"It was one of the coolest things ever, because the way they presented it was like, look, we don’t do this much, and we don’t do this much for
