The Iowa State Cyclones have been waiting to see where one of their top players would be going for next season, and a decision has been made.
Coming off a great season, the Cyclones knew that their roster was going to look a lot different after the campaign was over. Iowa State was a fairly veteran group, with arguably their two top players being seniors.
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As both Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey get set to try and make it in the NBA, the Cyclones were likely hoping that their third star would be returning for his senior season. However, forward Milan Momcilovic elected to declare for the NBA Draft and enter the transfer portal, giving him multiple options.
After exploring his NBA possibilities, the interest and feedback on where he might be selected didn’t appear to be great. If being a first-round pick wasn’t in the cards, it was a fairly easy decision to return to college. Now, he has reportedly made his decision on where he will be playing.
Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky Wildcats
When the decision was made not to pursue the NBA this year, there were four teams that were seemingly in the running for Momcilovic. The St. John’s Red Storm, Louisville Cardinals, Arizona Wildcats, and Kentucky.
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While St. John’s dropped out, it then became a three-horse race between the other three schools. Due to the financials, Iowa State never seemed to have a chance of bringing him back, and how they attacked the transfer portal after his initial decision was a strong indication of that.
With it coming down to the three schools, it always seemed like Kentucky was in the driver’s seat. This is a team that has a rich history in college basketball, but has not been living up to expectations. Head coach Mark Pope seemed to be under immense pressure to land Momcilovic, and he got the job done.
This is a massive addition for the Wildcats. Momcilovic was arguably the best shooter in college basketball last year, and he will be bringing that to Kentucky now. However, the pressure will be on him with a likely high price tag in order to bring him in.
For the Cyclones, they have now officially lost their sharpshooter, but there shouldn’t be any cause for panic. T.J. Otzelberger did a great job in the portal, and this is a talented team once again, even without their star shooter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa-state as Iowa State Basketball Star Milan Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky as Next School.
