UNC Basketball Recruiting: 7-Footer Says Tar Heels Among Most Involved

Great Crossing High School (Ky.) junior center Malachi Moreno heard from the UNC basketball coaches in late January. A few weeks later, Tar Heel assistant Sean May appeared at one of his games.

Even so, the 7-foot-1, 220-pound four-star, a relatively nimble giant who ranks No. 33 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, hasn't reported an offer from head coach Hubert Davis and his staff.

And there hasn't been much buzz surrounding UNC's potential pursuit since May's trip to Kentucky in February. Nevertheless, Moreno mentioned to Rivals' Rob Cassidy over the weekend that the Tar Heels are among those most actively in contact with him as of late.

The others Moreno listed in that regard are Southern Cal, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Arkansas, and home-state hopeful Kentucky.

His home is less than a 30-minute drive from Lexington, according to Cassidy, and he sat high on the Wildcats' wishlist when John Calipari was at the helm. Now, he remains near the center of Calipari's radar at Arkansas, and new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has been ramping up his own efforts in the race as the Wildcats prepare to host him on another unofficial visit soon.

Several months ago, Malachi Moreno told On3 that he hoped to wrap up his recruitment by June. Perhaps that timeline has changed. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if the UNC basketball coaches, who have yet to officially enter the fray for a full-fledged 2025 center, extend an offer to him before it's too late.

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