In the Mark Pope system, his team has to be able to shoot the three-ball at an elite level. Last season, that was not the case as the Wildcats shot 34.1% from deep as a team, and this just will not cut it. Knowing the Wildcats have to be a better shooting team this season, Pope did something very smart. He went out and got the best shooter in college basketball.
Pope landed Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, who shot 48.7% from deep last year on 7.5 attempts per game. He led the Cyclones in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game. Now, an offense that relies on three-point shooting has the best shooter in the nation.
Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) drives the ball against Tennessee Volunteers forward Jaylen Carey (23) in the first half 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
Momcilovic joined the UK Sports Network to talk about his goal this season as a shooter and how many Pope wants him taking per game. BBN is really going to like his answer.
Advertisement
Here is what Momcilovic had to say about his three-point shooting goals next season: “Pope was telling me he doesn’t want me to shoot 48% from three this year because he would see that as a failure because I’m not taking enough. So, he wants me to take a lot more. Ten threes a game and bring that percentage down a little bit. Obviously, as a shooter, you care about three-point percentage, but you know he wants more volume on makes and attempts, so I don’t mind it. Not sure what the record is for three-point makes in a year at Kentucky, but I hope to break that.”
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 at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images
For reference, the leader in single-season three-point makes for the Kentucky Wildcats is Jodie Meeks, who did it during the 2008-09 season. In this season, he made 117 three-point shots. For reference, Momcilovic made 136 threes last season, so he would have blown Meeks out of the water. Knowing Pope wants him to shoot close to ten a game, I have a feeling he will hold this record after the season.
Koby Brea has been the best shooter of the Pope era, and he only made 93 threes. It is going to be scary to see just how good a player like Momcilovic is going to make the Pope offense. The record for all time three-point makes in a single college basketball season is 162. It will be interesting to see if Momcilovic can make a run at this record this season in Lexington.
Advertisement
Sign up to ourfree newsletterand follow us onFacebookandYouTubefor the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Milan Momcilovic wants to break a specific record next season at Kentucky .
