‘Nowhere near done.’ What did UK get from its college basketball newcomers?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball’s season ended with a second-round loss to Iowa State in NCAA Tournament.
- Three of UK’s contributors this season were first-time college players.
- Andrija Jelavic, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno all played for UK in 2025-26 season.
Malachi Moreno solemnly looked ahead, processed the questions that were asked and spoke.
UK basketball’s big man of the present and future was critical of himself in the moments following the end of his first college basketball season.
Kentucky’s second-round NCAA Tournament elimination at the hands of Iowa State, 82-63, on Sunday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis was a comprehensive defeat for Mark Pope’s group, and one of the worst March Madness losses in UK program history.
With that in mind, Moreno’s summation of his freshman season slanted negative.
“I’m really upset with (what) my performance came to at the end of the year,” UK’s center said. “It sucks that we ended everything today, but I’m grateful for everything that I achieved this year, but nowhere near done.”
That statement alone doesn’t paint an accurate picture of the Kentucky native’s debut season.
A canvas of the UK locker room in the aftermath of its season-ending defeat brought additional insight on Moreno, as well as on forward Andrija Jelavic and guard Jasper Johnson, UK’s other contributors this season who were new to college hoops.
Malachi Moreno exceeds expectations as UK freshman
Let’s start with Moreno, who was the most impressive of Kentucky’s first-year players.
The Georgetown native earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors after establishing himself as UK’s starter at the 5. While Moreno’s campaign exceeded expectations, his play dipped at the end of the season.
Moreno failed to record a double-figure scoring effort in any of UK’s final seven games. Moreno — who was one of five UK players to appear in all 36 games this season — finished his freshman year with per-game marks of 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
“Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Moreno said. “I kind of just put my head down and went to work every day. My teammates pushed me to be better every day, especially the seniors. I was playing for them.”
Moreno is viewed as perhaps the top building block for Kentucky to base its offseason roster-building around. The former Kentucky Mr. Basketball has moved up on some projections for this summer’s NBA Draft, but he’s still expected to return to UK for his sophomore year.
“It definitely sucks that we ended the season today,” Moreno said. “We had a lot of adversity this year. We were able to pick ourselves up off the mat and fight back a lot. So, I’m extremely grateful for the experience that I got this year. I’m extremely, extremely grateful for the teammates I got to do it with.”
Moreno said the feeling of being on the wrong end of a heavy NCAA Tournament defeat will sting. He plans to use it as motivation during the offseason.
“Just can’t let my game regress, can’t let it affect my mental state,” Moreno said. “Just gotta continue to get better and continue to improve every single day.”
Andrija Jelavic evolved into a UK basketball starter
Jelavic — who is listed as a sophomore because of the college-level courses he took during his time as a pro player in Europe — had a more checkered debut season.
He arrived in Lexington as a mystery man, and missed all eight weeks of UK’s summer practice while back home in Europe.
There were ups and downs as Jelavic and Kentucky adjusted to one another. Jelavic was a bench piece for UK in nonconference play, while also receiving DNPs in high-profile wins over Indiana and St. John’s.
The start of SEC brought a more prominent role for Jelavic. He slid into UK’s starting lineup for a win at LSU on Jan. 14 and remained a starter for the final 20 games of the season.
“I think that was the biggest experience, the biggest plus of this season. Just me fighting through the adversity,” Jelavic said. “... I’m just grateful for that, because I also showed some character. And it didn’t happen just to me. It’s happened to probably every one of the other guys here.”
That starting role didn’t always equate to major playing time for Jelavic, though. Over UK’s final 12 games, Jelavic only played more than 20 minutes once. Over this same period, Jelavic only scored in double figures once and shot 23.3% (7-for-30) on 3-pointers.
For the season, Jelavic shot 27.6% from beyond the arc.
“There was a growth,” Jelavic said. “Also just learning something from each and every one of these guys, from everyone with the coaching staff and just getting better at some stuff. Also learning how to make some good plays in a few minutes, not just spending time on the court doing nothing.”
Jelavic — who finished with per-game averages of 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds — leaned on his pro basketball experience to navigate the fluctuations in his playing time.
“The experience was definitely one I will never forget,” Jelavic said. “I mean, the first year at Kentucky, we had a bunch of highs and lows this season. The fans had a bunch of happiness and frustrating moments, and I like that, because (at) Kentucky the basketball is everything. I always like that. I always wanted that.”
Jasper Johnson struggles in debut college season
Johnson entered this season as the top-ranked high school recruit ever landed by Pope.
But Johnson — the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite — was hardly a factor for the Cats when it mattered most. He played a combined 28 minutes across UK’s five games in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
Known as a volume scorer in high school, Johnson’s best offensive performances came against overmatched opponents in nonconference play.
“I just know I got to get better. There’s always room for growth in the game of basketball,” Johnson said. “This offseason, I know I’m going to work every day, get stronger, tighten up my ball handling, better shot, just improve my game this offseason.”
The Cats would have greatly benefitted from more consistent play from Johnson after Jaland Lowe was ruled out for the season in January. But, Johnson often wasn’t reliable enough to earn significant minutes.
Part of this was because Johnson didn’t take care of the ball. He finished the season with 57 assists against 35 turnovers and was outmuscled in matchups against experienced players.
“I learned I’ve got to get stronger,” Johnson said. “Coming from high school to being a freshman in college, it’s a lot of different kinds of strengths and pace on the floor. So just got to work harder and do better.”
To his credit, Johnson didn’t mince words postgame. He acknowledged the need to improve his game.
“I can control my destiny at the end of the day, so do whatever I can to make sure that I’m prepared for whatever is to come in my basketball career,” Johnson said.
Collin Chandler reflects on UK’s first-year players
Regardless of the end outcome, a season with the Cats brought memories and moments that Jelavic, Johnson and Moreno won’t soon forget.
Johnson listed his two fellow first-year players — along with freshman forward Braydon Hawthorne, who redshirted this season — as the teammates with whom he’s formed the closest bond.
“Giving them rides and stuff. Hanging out with them off the court. Playing (video games) with them, and things like that,” Johnson said. “It was a fun season playing with them. They’re guys who, also, this was their first season, but I love those guys and we’ll have memories and a relationship forever.”
Sophomore guard Collin Chandler — one of the old heads of this UK team at 22 years old — was bullish on the basketball futures of Kentucky’s first-year college players.
He struck a hopeful tone when discussing how Jealvic, Johnson and Moreno each managed their first seasons in college basketball.
“Their heads, they’re on straight man,” Chandler said. “I know the kind of turmoil you go through as a person when maybe you’re not playing as much, or you’re not hitting shots and you’re not doing those (things). Like, it’s a battle. But what surprised me, what’s impressed me about them is, I’m sure they go through it, but they don’t show it much. They’ve been really good at coming in every day, even through the frustration.”
“... So they’ve all had experiences that are hard. I just respect how they’ve handled themselves.”
