Louisville involved with Milan Momcilovic as Draft decision looms
There’s no question that Louisville has been among the biggest offseason spenders this cycle. Head coach Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals have assembled one of the best transfer portal classes in the country, but may not be done adding top talent.
Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic has been garnering interest from programs such as Louisville, Kentucky, St. John’s, and UCLA since he entered the Transfer Portal and declared for the 2026 NBA Draft over a month ago. But with the withdrawal deadline approaching, things are just now heating up in his recruitment as teams start to prepare for him to make a decision.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward has been one of the best shooters in college basketball over his three-year career. This past season, he played in 37 games for TJ Otzelberger and the Cyclones, averaging a team-best 16.9 points a game on a wicked 48.7 3-point percentage and 50.6 percent shooting overall. He hit over 3.7 3s a game last winter, making 136 total jumpers from beyond the arc, which led the nation.
On3 ranks the junior as the best remaining player available in the transfer portal.
While staying 100 percent focused on the NBA Draft process, Momcilovic hasn’t been in direct contact with any schools. All communication has been conducted through his agent, meeting with teams virtually.
“I’m sure if I have to go back (to college), there’s a spot open for me somewhere,” Momcilovic told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine this week. “I’m just going through this process; the deadline is the 27th of May, so I still got a couple of weeks. Gotta finish this week and then work out for a couple teams.”
According to the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, that spot may be Louisville, as he says the Cards are a “frontrunner” for the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer (that he should return to college),” said Goodman. “Obviously, some of the schools involved– St. John’s, Louisville — are probably the two schools that, as of today, would be the frontrunner for him. But a lot can change, obviously, the moment he does, if he does, withdraw from the NBA Draft.”
Momcilovic has until midnight on May 27 to withdraw from the NBA Draft if he chooses to do so. But, before then, he’ll need to hear confidence from the teams he meets with if he were to keep his name in.
“I just think very high interest, you know, obviously some promises, but I don’t think teams promise that early,” said the former Cyclone. “I think if there’s guaranteed contracts that would be good. Obviously, if it’s the later second round, usually two-way contracts, then I would probably go back.”
Right now, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has Momcilovic ranked as the 44th-best available player.
Among the things important to the Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native, if he were to return to college, would be a place that fits his playstyle, helps him improve his future draft stock, and allows him to compete for a national championship.
Shooting on the wing does seem to be a hole in Louisville’s current roster construction. Sure, Kelsey’s team may be able to get by with several capable shooters from distance set to be on the roster, but as it stands, the Cards don’t have the 100+ make-from-3 guy (R. Smith, I. McKneely) that they had in his first two seasons. Louisville has already assembled a presumably dominant frontcourt of Flory Bidunga, Alvaro Folgueiras, and Obinna Ekezie Jr, and with a couple roster spots left to fill, there’s a world where an addition like Momcilovic would make the Cards a legit preseason title favorite.
For now, he remains fully focused on the draft, and teams like Louisville patiently wait for him to make a decision.
