Malachi Moreno helped recruit longtime friend Zoom Diallo to Kentucky

Moreno played a key role in helping Kentucky land its PG in Zoom Diallo.

Zoom Diallo | UK Athletics

Kentucky had some help with getting its starting point guard for next season. Back in May, the Wildcats landed Washington transfer Zoom Diallo, a top 20 transfer in the portal and one of the best overall lead guards. The addition was very important as they wasted no time in getting their guy locked down at point guard. During the recruiting process, one current Wildcat was very involved.

When speaking with the media on Thursday, Kentucky's Malachi Moreno was asked if he was involved in any of the team's portal recruitments and he said Zoom Diallo, who he has had a longtime friendship with from their time together in AAU. Moreno discussed his involvement with Diallo's recruitment in detail.

Dec 23, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks with center Malachi Moreno (24) during the second half against the Bellarmine Knights at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"One of the main guys (Mark Pope) kept me in contact with was Zoom Diallo, and had already known Zoom for a while," Moreno said on Thursday. "We had been in Adidas Euro camp together, and you know, being on the Adidas circuit, we've been good friends for a while. We always wanted to play together. He ended up at Washington and I ended up here, but the stars aligned and now he's here with me and I got my favorite point guard."

What can we expect from Diallo as he makes the move to Lexington under Mark Pope's system? "He's a high assist rate guy. He makes plays, earns shots for his teammates, and he's also a bully guard, so I think that also helps in the SEC as well, being one of those bigger bully guards, like you saw Otega was last year. He was able to be so good because he was such a bully and he was able to kind of muscle his way through the paint and really earn shots for everybody, earn shots for himself. So I think having a guy like Zoom like that, it's a recipe for success."

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) shoots a free throw against the Southern California Trojans during the overtime at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Diallo was in a system at Washington last season where he wasn't necessarily able to showcase that playmaking ability of his that he prides himself on. Surrounding him with shooters and scorers in Pope's system is going to really let his skills shine in a very big way. His ability to get to the rim is going to be valuable too, because even if a good shot isn't there, he's got guys on the wing that he can kick it out to.

We can expect big things from Kentucky's new pont guard and you can thank Malachi Moreno for being a factor in bringing him to Lexington.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and YouTube for the latest news.