Mark Pope has been working toward bringing Milan Momcilovic to the Kentucky Wildcats. The former Iowa State Cyclones star could potentially return to college basketball to exercise his remaining eligibility.
Momcilovic declared for the 2026 NBA Draft in April. He also entered his name in the transfer portal, keeping his options open for a possible return. Known for his elite shooting skills, he has some good offers on the table.
As of now, Momcilovic is focusing on the upcoming draft. His primary objective is to get to the NBA. However, if he doesn’t receive the feedback that he’s hoping for, he will return to college basketball and is likely to join Pope’s team.
Recently, Momcilovic talked about Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. He hasn’t met Kentucky’s head coach yet, but he knows that his game is best suited for Pope’s system, where he relies on his shooters.
“I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” he said. “I obviously went against Pope at BYU his first year (in the Big 12), and I loved how his team played. I think we went 1-1 against them, but they killed us at their place, because they fly the ball up the court and shoot 3s. I really like the way they play.”
The 6’8 forward played for the Iowa State Cyclones from 2023 to 2026. In his last season, he averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7% from the 3-point line.
It’s a perfect match for Momcilovic. The biggest question is whether he will return to college basketball. If he does, the star forward has the potential to reshape Pope’s roster for the next season.
Milan Momcilovic on Mark Pope’s Last Season
The 2025-26 season was underwhelming for Pope and the Wildcats. They finished with the same 10-8 record in the conference as Pope’s first year, but the overall season record was 22-14. Pope’s team got knocked out in the Round of 32.
Momcilovic said that Pope’s team suffered because he didn’t have great shooters around him, claiming that if he joined Kentucky, that wouldn’t be a problem.
“And obviously, Kentucky last year, he didn’t have enough shooters around him to really coach, I feel like, the way he wanted. But I think – if I were to choose Kentucky – that would be a good fit for me. I feel like I’d be a great player for him, and he’d be a good coach for me,” he said.
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