Milan Momcilovic explains why Mark Pope was a good fit to be his coach

The big offseason get this year for Coach Pope was Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic. He pulled out of the NBA Draft and picked the Wildcats, which had Big Blue Nation fired up about the 2026-27 season. Last season for the Cyclones, Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points per game while shooting 48.7% from three on 7.5 attempts per game.

Knowing how good a shooter Momcilovic is, it is clear that he will be a really good fit for the Pope system. Momcilovic sat down with the UK Sports Network, and one of the questions they asked was about why he picked to come to Kentucky and play for Coach Pope.

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Here is what Momcilovic had to say about his decision to play at Kentucky for Coach Pope: “I feel like just playing against him at BYU just stood out to me. I think my first year or two at Iowa State, we played against him, and his teams are tough to play against. A lot of shot-making they had, so I feel like that kind of stood out. He really likes playing with shooters, and obviously that is my strength, and I think we just mesh so well together.”

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One thing that will be interesting this season for the Wildcats is how many threes this team is going to shoot. Every year during Pope’s tenure at Kentucky he has wanted to shoot over 30 threes per game but in back-to-back seasons he hasn’t gotten close to this goal. The hope now is that adding an elite shooter like Momcilovic will make it easier for the Wildcats to get closer to this goal.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/milan-momcilovic-explains-why-mark-204838765.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-29 20:48:00

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