Former Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, the No. 1 player in the transfer portal this spring, has committed to Kentucky, he announced Monday.
Momcilovic chose the Wildcats over Louisville and Arizona. St. John’s was also among the schools in pursuit as recently as last week, but the Red Storm bowed out after landing Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou.
Momcilovic, a 6-foot-8 junior, was the best shooter in college basketball last season. He averaged 16.9 points and shot an NCAA-best 48.7% from 3-point range, ranking fifth nationally in 3-pointers made (136). Momcilovic had notable single-game performances of 34 points and eight 3-pointers against Cincinnati; 29 points and five 3-pointers against Oklahoma State; and 28 points and eight 3-pointers against Arizona in the Big 12 tournament.
In his three seasons in Ames, Iowa State won 83 games and made two Sweet 16 appearances. Momcilovic earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last season.
It’s impossible to overstate the significance of this addition for Kentucky’s 2026-27 outlook, as well as for Mark Pope’s future as the head coach of the Wildcats. Pope is entering a pivotal season, coming off a campaign in which Kentucky struggled for long stretches and finished 22-14 with a second-round NCAA tournament exit despite having the nation’s most expensive roster.
With Momcilovic in the fold — and after starting center Malachi Moreno withdrew his name from the NBA draft last week — Pope now has a top-25 roster on his hands. Kentucky has leaned heavily on the portal, as Momcilovic likely will join fellow transfers Alex Wilkins (Furman) and Zoom Diallo (Washington) in the Wildcats’ starting lineup.
Momcilovic announced in early April he planned to leave Iowa State and enter the transfer portal and the NBA draft. He went through the NBA draft process, earning an invitation to the combine. He cemented himself as one of the elite shooters in the pool of players, shooting nearly 69% in the four shooting drills, but removed his name hours before the draft’s early-entry withdrawal deadline last week.
