Bio Blast: Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is currently lacking a top-end talent for next season’s roster. That player might currently be in the fold and on the verge of breaking out into that caliber of player, but as of right now, there is a notable shortage of overwhelming star power going into 2026-27. Pope can change that quickly, though.

Landing Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic would do just that. Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ reports that Kentucky recently got involved with Momcilovic. This was the first time that the Wildcats have been publicly linked to the 6-foot-8 forward. The Big Blue Nation has been pining for UK to get involved with Momcilovic, who is also testing the NBA Draft waters, even more so in the wake of Tyran Stokes‘ commitment to Kansas.

It’s important to note that Momcilovic could just as easily keep his name in the draft as he could come back to college. He even said his plan is to get drafted once he entered his name into the portal last month. But he’s currently viewed as a second-round pick. More money will be available at the college level if that holds after the pre-draft process. Kentucky has a Tyran Stokes-sized amount of money set aside for a player just like him. Momcilovic has until May 27 to pull his name from the draft pool.

But if he does return to college, Momcilovic will be an immediate star at whichever school he chooses. The On3 Industry Rankings have him as the third-best transfer this offseason, behind only Flory Bidunga (Louisville) and John Blackwell (Duke). He would instantly slide into Kentucky’s starting lineup if Pope can reel him in.

Now that Kentucky has been linked to Momcilovic, it’s time we break out another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast series to learn more about him and his game.

A former Kentucky recruiting target in high school

Let’s go back to Momcilovic’s high school days first. He was actually a Kentucky target once upon a time when John Calipari was still in charge. Momcilovic played on the Nike EYBL circuit for Team Herro, a program run by former Wildcat guard Tyler Herro and coached by his father, Chris. He played alongside Herro’s younger brother, Austin, and was already one of AAU’s top outside shooters as a member of the 2023 recruiting class.

Momcilovic, who hails from Wisconsin, used the Nike stage to put himself on the map. Calipari (along with Jai Lucas, who was a UK assistant at the time but is now the head coach at Miami) watched him play multiple games in April 2022 at EYBL Session II in Indianapolis. There was mutual interest from both sides, but an offer never came. Momcilovic soon cut his list down to a top six of Iowa State, Minnesota, Virginia, Michigan State, and UCLA. Iowa State, a school he admitted was making him a top priority, was the final choice.

He was considered the No. 44 overall recruit in his high school class, helping make up what was the Cyclones’ best-ever recruiting group. Momcilovic scored over 2,000 career points at Pewaukee (WI) High School, leading his team to three straight state championships while winning Wisconsin Mr. Basketball as a senior. He also participated in the 2023 USA Basketball U19 Training Camp.

A three-year starter at Iowa State

Momcilovic wasted no time making an impact as a true freshman for T.J. Otzelberger, who was entering his third season as Iowa State’s head coach at the time. He started all 37 games played (tying a school record) for the Cyclones, averaging 10.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per outing while shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from deep, and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line. Momcilovic regularly scored in double-figures, helping lead Iowa State to a Big 12 Tournament title and Sweet 16 finish. He dropped 18 points against Houston in the Big 12 Tournament championship win over Houston.

All of that was enough to land him a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Momcilovic even battled Pope’s final BYU squad (which included future Wildcat guard Jaxson Robinson) a couple of times during that 2023-24 run. He went for 11 points and three rebounds in an 87-72 loss to the Cougars before going for six points and two rebounds in a 68-63 win a couple of months later.

His sophomore campaign in 2024-25 saw him produce similar numbers but with better shooting splits. Momcilovic posted per-game averages of 11.5 points and 3.3 rebounds on splits of 42.9/39.6/83.7. He started 27 of 28 games played, missing seven games during the middle of conference play due to a left-hand injury. Iowa State again made the NCAA Tournament, but lost in the second round to Ole Miss.

Momcilovic developed into a star this past season as a junior. He boosted his per-game averages to a team-high 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 30.5 minutes on impressive splits of 50.6/48.7/87.8. He turned into a coin-flip outside shooter, leading the entire NCAA in three-point shooting. His 136 made triples set a single-season school record. For the second time in three seasons, he started all 37 games played. Momcilovic had 15 games with at least 20 points, including a career-high 34 points in a loss to Cincinnati.

All of that led to Momcilovic being named Second Team All-Big 12. Iowa State lost to the eventual conference tournament champion Arizona in the semifinals, but not before he dropped 28 points on the Wildcats. The Cylones earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament and famously smacked around Pope’s Kentucky squad in the Round of 32, winning 82-63 in a game where Momcilovic recorded 20 points and five rebounds on 4-9 outside shooting. Iowa State went on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Momcilovic ended his Iowa State career with 101 starts in 102 games played. He averaged 13.2 points and 3.2 rebounds on splits of 45.8/42.8/84.5 while in Ames. There wasn’t a better shooter with that kind of experience to enter the portal this offseason than him.

What the advanced stats say about his game

To little surprise, the advanced statistics were big fans of Momcilovic’s game in his last season with Iowa State. He graded out as one of the most efficient shooters in college basketball, per CBB Analytics. His true shooting percentage (69.8), three-point percentage (48.7), and three-point rate (67.9) all ranked in the 93rd percentile or better among all forwards. His 9.9 three-point attempts per 40 minutes landed him in the 99th percentile. All-in-one stats such as RAPM and Win Shares also had him in the 99th percentile. In terms of his impact on offense as a shooter, Momcilovic was in a league of his own.

But there are limitations to his game. Momcilovic is not a high-level rebounder, especially on the offensive glass, despite clocking in at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds. He is not a shot-blocker or an individual defensive threat. While he shoots the ball incredibly well from the free-throw line, his free-throw attempt rate of 20 percent ranked in the 20th percentile. His playmaking numbers are weak, but he’s also not prone to turning the ball over, either.

Back to the shooting numbers, though. Momcilovic hit 61.2 percent of his corner three-pointers last season. He also shot 52.2 percent on shots in the paint and was 78.8 percent on layups, albeit with low volume on those attempts. His range goes well beyond the college line, too, hitting 49.1 percent of his shots classified as NBA three-pointers. He was especially dangerous shooting the ball in transition, connecting on 45.1 percent of his transition threes.

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