Milan Momcilovic Picks Kentucky. The Wildcats Just Landed the Best Shooter in College Basketball.
Kentucky just got the best shooter in college basketball. Milan Momcilovic, the No. 1 player in the spring transfer portal, has committed to the Wildcats, choosing Mark Pope’s program over Louisville and Arizona.
Momcilovic was a stretch four for Iowa State last season who shot 48.7 percent from three-point range. That mark led the entire NCAA. He averaged 16.9 points per game. He made 136 threes, fifth-most in the country. He is the kind of player who immediately transforms an offense.
The 6-foot-8 junior tested the NBA Draft waters before pulling out in late May. He decided his pro stock would be better served by another year of college, ideally in a higher-profile system. Kentucky checked every box.
This is a defining recruiting moment for Mark Pope, who took over at Kentucky last year. The Wildcats lost a tough Sweet 16 game to Iowa State in March, the same Iowa State team Momcilovic anchored. Pope identified the player who beat his team and brought him to Lexington.
That is the new model in college basketball. The portal is the entire summer. The best programs are the ones who can adapt quickly. Pope just landed a near-elite shooter and a culture-fit forward in one move.
The Kentucky roster is now legitimately a top-25 starting point heading into November. Center Malachi Moreno withdrew his name from the draft and returns. Momcilovic joins fellow transfers Alex Wilkins from Furman and Zoom Diallo from Washington. Pope has stocked the cupboard.
What Momcilovic brings is more than shooting. He is a high-IQ team player. He moves the ball. He defends well enough to play in the SEC. He has tournament experience. He understands what it takes to win at the highest level of college basketball.
The fit alongside Diallo, a creative point guard with real downhill ability, is particularly interesting. Kentucky’s offense should be one of the highest-scoring teams in the country. Momcilovic will get clean looks all season as defenses collapse on penetration.
Kentucky’s only real question now is depth at the wing positions. Pope has another month of recruiting to address that. Several international prospects are still considering Lexington. The roster construction is close to complete.
This is also a recruiting message. Top transfer portal players watching the Kentucky-Iowa State Sweet 16 game saw a program that competes at the highest level. Now they see a program that gets the No. 1 portal player. That builds momentum.
The SEC is going to be brutal next season. Florida is the defending national champion. Alabama is loaded. Auburn has Bruce Pearl. Tennessee has talent. Arkansas under John Calipari is going to be aggressive in NIL. Kentucky just gave itself a real chance to win the conference.
Mark Pope made the right move. Milan Momcilovic just put Kentucky back on the national stage. The Wildcats are back.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
