[4 Quarters]

Is Moreno the best big man to come out of the Commonwealth?
 
 I'm asking solely based on his high school career.

Who is your choose?

[4 Quarters]

Ok, if no one else wants to touch this question, I will.

Yes, he is the best.

[-STAT-]

I am just having a complete brain fog right now (that's what Monday does to me) on other big guys who have come out of Kentucky, but it's hard to deny he is one of the best to come out of this state.

Looking at his all of his accolades & accomplishments, capping it off with a State Championship, it doesn't get any better.

[jetpilot]

Is Moreno the best big man to come out of the Commonwealth?
 
 I'm asking solely based on his high school career.

Who is your choose?

Don't know what definition is of big man anymore but 4 that come to mind are Jim McDaniels, Melvin Turpin, Wesley Cox, Mike Silliman.
Moreno is in elite company no doubt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McDaniels
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Silliman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Cox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Turpin

[Red and Black]

Scott Padgett and Tom Payne are the only two that come to mind for me.

[shottaker23]

Dave Cowens, Wes Unseld, and the previously mentioned Jim Mcdaniels are the best posts of all time. If championships are what you are measuring against, Aric Holman was better. Congrats to Moreno but outside of being very tall he isn't a dominant player. He got cooked this year by 2 guys who where 6'8. His offense consisted of rebound dunks and simply being taller. Again not dogging him in any way but he is definately a 3-4 year college player. Great kid as well

[4 Quarters]

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

---

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

Also, Felton Spencer. Jared Carter, Mike Popp, Gabe Dynes.

---

Dave Cowens, Wes Unseld, and the previously mentioned Jim Mcdaniels are the best posts of all time. If championships are what you are measuring against, Aric Holman was better. Congrats to Moreno but outside of being very tall he isn't a dominant player. He got cooked this year by 2 guys who where 6'8. His offense consisted of rebound dunks and simply being taller. Again not dogging him in any way but he is definately a 3-4 year college player. Great kid as well

Yes, Unseld was a very good HS player, Cowens was just average as well as McDaniels, who only wanted to shoot from long range.  Holman was a decent player at O'boro, but did not affect the game as Moreno has.

[shottaker23]

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

---

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

Also, Felton Spencer. Jared Carter, Mike Popp, Gabe Dynes.

---

Dave Cowens, Wes Unseld, and the previously mentioned Jim Mcdaniels are the best posts of all time. If championships are what you are measuring against, Aric Holman was better. Congrats to Moreno but outside of being very tall he isn't a dominant player. He got cooked this year by 2 guys who where 6'8. His offense consisted of rebound dunks and simply being taller. Again not dogging him in any way but he is definately a 3-4 year college player. Great kid as well

Yes, Unseld was a very good HS player, Cowens was just average as well as McDaniels, who only wanted to shoot from long range.  Holman was a decent player at O'boro, but did not affect the game as Moreno has.

Moreno had a lot better supporting cast than most of the others. If memory serves correct their are 6 kids on that roster with offers? Yes forgot about VanHoose he was a stud.  Offensively Moreno was limited but yes defensively he affected the game very much like Dynes and Nathan Popp not Mike. Marquis Estill was much better offensively in my opinion as was Unseld. Kentucky unfortunately has and always will be a desert of true size, anyone above 6'4 and you are going in the Post for the most part lol. Therefore our sample size is limited. But yes he is a very good post by Kentucky standards.

[Old School Hound]

If 6'7", 250 is big, then Wes Unseld. If 6' 6" is big enough to be big, then Allan Houston.

[dodger]

I'd count Unseld as a big. If you made an NBA All-Star team and won a title playing the 5 in my lifetime, can't see how you'd call him anything else.

[LOOKAYANNER]

7’ Jim McDaniel of Allen County helped Western Kentucky make it to the final 4, I think in 1971. They beat the fur off the UK Wildcats in the NCAA tourney that year.
The noticeable thing about that team was all the starters were Kentucky high school graduates, if memory serves me correctly.
They would have made the championship game if not for a couple of terrible calls (in my humble opinion) in the last minute vs Villanova.

[NEXT]

lol

VanHoose. JR VanHoose. I don’t think Moreno had a good of a high school career, and I don’t think he will have as good of a college career.

I hope he proves me wrong in the 2nd.

[Khalisimo]

lol

VanHoose. JR VanHoose. I don’t think  Moreno had a good of a high school career, and I don’t think he will have as good of a college career.

I hope he proves me wrong in the 2nd.

pissed it took me this long to find that name

[Redneck]

JR Vanhoose…

[Redneck]

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

---

Why is everyone forgetting Trey James and VanHoose?

Also, Felton Spencer. Jared Carter, Mike Popp, Gabe Dynes.

---

Dave Cowens, Wes Unseld, and the previously mentioned Jim Mcdaniels are the best posts of all time. If championships are what you are measuring against, Aric Holman was better. Congrats to Moreno but outside of being very tall he isn't a dominant player. He got cooked this year by 2 guys who where 6'8. His offense consisted of rebound dunks and simply being taller. Again not dogging him in any way but he is definately a 3-4 year college player. Great kid as well

Yes, Unseld was a very good HS player, Cowens was just average as well as McDaniels, who only wanted to shoot from long range.  Holman was a decent player at O'boro, but did not affect the game as Moreno has.

Trey James? Just because he was tall, doesn’t mean he was one of the best.

[HCS]

If 6'7", 250 is big, then Wes Unseld. If 6' 6" is big enough to be big, then Allan Houston.

I have been a Bullets/Wizards fan since the 1970s. Unseld was most definitely a post player, even at 6-7. He guarded Chamberlain, Jabbar and others. He was the league MVP one year and helped lead the Bullets to the 78 championship, along with Elvin Hayes.
Houston was a guard though, and so was Magic, who is even taller.

[4 Quarters]

Don't forget the McDonalds All American game tonight (2/1/25).  Moreno will be playing.

[Cactus Jack]

I'd count Unseld as a big. If you made an NBA All-Star team and won a title playing the 5 in my lifetime, can't see how you'd call him anything else.

This. Unseld was listed as a F/C. Unsure how you'd call him anything but a big, even if he isn't "big" by today's standards.


Newport Central Catholic's Dave Cowens hasn't been mentioned yet either. He played for the Boston Celtics and won a pair of NBA Championships, was NBA Rookie of the Year, and was NBA MVP in 1973. If we're talking about careers as a whole, he has to be up there.

I think that Moreno belongs in certain discussions, but it's obviously way too early to rank him if we're looking at careers as a whole.


Two of the more physically imposing bigs from the last 25-30 years that I haven't seen mentioned are Brandon Bender (Ballard) and Tony Key (Russellville). Both were talented enough to play in the NBA and are names that I'd put ahead of Vanhoose.

Not saying that Moreno couldn't match up with either because he still has a height advantage and may be able to draw them out onto the floor and away from the rim, but I think it's fair to say that both outweigh him and could present matchup problems in really physical games, especially if they could camp around the rim.

[shottaker23]

I'd count Unseld as a big.  If you made an NBA All-Star team and won a title playing the 5 in my lifetime, can't see how you'd call him anything else.

This. Unseld was listed as a F/C. Unsure how you'd call him anything but a big, even if he isn't "big" by today's standards.


Newport Central Catholic's Dave Cowens hasn't been mentioned yet either. He played for the Boston Celtics and won a pair of NBA Championships, was NBA Rookie of the Year, and was NBA MVP in 1973. If we're talking about careers as a whole, he has to be up there.

I think that Moreno belongs in certain discussions, but it's obviously way too early to rank him if we're looking at careers as a whole.


Two of the more physically imposing bigs from the last 25-30 years that I haven't seen mentioned are Brandon Bender (Ballard) and Tony Key (Russellville). Both were talented enough to play in the NBA and are names that I'd put ahead of Vanhoose.

Not saying that Moreno couldn't match up with either because he still has a height advantage and may be able to draw them out onto the floor and away from the rim, but I think it's fair to say that both outweigh him and could present matchup problems in really physical games, especially if they could camp around the rim.

I had mentioned Cowens earlier. I had always thought he was one of the better posts to come out of Kentucky.

[4 Quarters]

I'd count Unseld as a big.  If you made an NBA All-Star team and won a title playing the 5 in my lifetime, can't see how you'd call him anything else.

This. Unseld was listed as a F/C. Unsure how you'd call him anything but a big, even if he isn't "big" by today's standards.


Newport Central Catholic's Dave Cowens hasn't been mentioned yet either. He played for the Boston Celtics and won a pair of NBA Championships, was NBA Rookie of the Year, and was NBA MVP in 1973. If we're talking about careers as a whole, he has to be up there.

I think that Moreno belongs in certain discussions, but it's obviously way too early to rank him if we're looking at careers as a whole.


Two of the more physically imposing bigs from the last 25-30 years that I haven't seen mentioned are Brandon Bender (Ballard) and Tony Key (Russellville). Both were talented enough to play in the NBA and are names that I'd put ahead of Vanhoose.

Not saying that Moreno couldn't match up with either because he still has a height advantage and may be able to draw them out onto the floor and away from the rim, but I think it's fair to say that both outweigh him and could present matchup problems in really physical games, especially if they could camp around the rim.

I had mentioned Cowens earlier. I had always thought he was one of the better posts to come out of Kentucky.

Yes, once he got to Fla St he started developing his skills, but in HS he was just pretty much another big kid.

[4 Quarters]

Moreno had a pretty nice showing in the McDonalds game last night.

[GeraldDaLoved]

Is Moreno the best big man to come out of the Commonwealth?
 
 I'm asking solely based on his high school career.

Who is your choose?

J.R. Vanhoose was a great big man as well. State champ and holds some records at Marshall.

[HCS]

I think Unseld was by far the best so far when you consider high school, college and the NBA. Cowens, as someone said, became great in the NBA. I hope Moreno is an All American at UK, but it will take a great college career and some years in the NBA to surpass Unseld.

Going way back, Wah Jones won a state championship at Harlan, a national championship. at UK and a Gold Medal in the Olympics. He was 6-4, but that was a big man in the 1940s.

[KyGymRat]

Jasper and Moreno are going to be tough with years to come add Noah Perry be cool to see all Kentucky kids lineup at some point

[Old School Hound]

I think Unseld was by far the best so far when you consider high school, college and the NBA. Cowens, as someone said, became great in the NBA. I hope Moreno is an All American at UK, but it will take a great college career and some years in the NBA to surpass Unseld.

Going way back, Wah Jones won a state championship at Harlan, a national championship. at UK and a Gold Medal in the Olympics. He was 6-4, but that was a big man in the 1940s.

I agree. It's Unseld for me, and it's not even close.

[24Rocks]

While not on the level of Unseld or McDaniels, Mark Fothergill from Somerset had a solid career at Maryland.  He played in an ACC Championship game against North Carolina when they had Jordan, Perkins, and Maryland had Bias.  I'm not sure what Mark's high school stats were but they would stack up against Moreno's.  

It's a little early to tell about how good Moreno really is given the size differential between him and his high school competition.

[4 Quarters]

Moreno is playing in the Nike Hoop Summit allstar game tonight (4/12/25) at 7 pm on the USA network.

[LOOKAYANNER]

Moreno is playing in the Nike Hoop Summit allstar game tonight (4/12/25) at 7 pm on the USA network.

And Jasper Johnson is as well.

[LOOKAYANNER]

I fell asleep on the late game.
How did the two UK recruits do?

[Old School Hound]

I fell asleep on the late game.
How did the two UK recruits do?

Snooze, you lose..