Kentucky has landed the top available player in the college basketball transfer portal, and Mark Pope’s program will now be considered a national contender going into the 2026-27 s
Kentucky has landed the top available player in the college basketball transfer portal, and Mark Pope’s program will now be considered a national contender going into the 2026-27 season. Former Iowa State standout Milan Momcilovic, who pulled out of the NBA draft just hours before the withdrawal deadline last Wednesday night, committed to play for the Cats on Monday night.
Louisville and St. John’s were the other two teams most closely linked to Momcilovic in recent weeks, though several other programs, including Arizona, made a run at his commitment once it became clear he was likely to return to college for his senior year. In the end, it came down to Kentucky and Louisville, with the Cats landing a major recruiting victory over their in-state rivals.
It could turn out to be Pope’s biggest commitment yet as UK’s head coach as he enters a pivotal third season in charge of the Cats. Momcilovic — a 6-foot-8 forward from Pewaukee, Wisconsin — scored 1,349 points over his three years at Iowa State, emerging last season as the best 3-point shooter in all of college basketball. As a junior with the Cyclones, he shot 48.7% from 3-point range and made a total of 136 shots from long range, leading the country in both categories. If proposed changes to NCAA rules are formally approved later this year, as expected, Momcilovic would have two seasons of college eligibility remaining, though he made clear at the NBA Combine in Chicago this month that he was planning to play just one more year at the NCAA level if he did indeed pull out of the 2026 draft. Sticking around for a fifth year of college will be a decision for another day.
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