Kentucky’s biggest target for the upcoming season is continuing to give his thoughts on the schools involved and things that will factor into his decision. Louisville, St. John’s and the Wildcats are all in contention to land his services, someone who will boost the floor and ceiling of any team he ends up with. On Friday, The Lexington Herald Leader spoke with Momcilovic to dive deeper into his thoughts on Kentucky specifically.
First off, Momcilovic was asked how much money will factor into his decision if returning to college turns out to be the decision. “I’m not gonna go money hunt for like the top school that offers me the most money,” Momcilovic told the Herald Leader. “Obviously it’s really cool to hear some of those numbers and it’s tempting, but for me, I don’t need all that. I just need a good spot where I can go.”
Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) celebrates after a play during the second half 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
Momcilovic is really focused on fit, as well as playing for a contender if he does decide to opt out of the draft and return to college, which we heard him speak about earlier this week with CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter where he said he’s fully focused on the draft process at the moment. “If I return to college, just a fit that I can play well in and hopefully help my chances to go to the NBA the year after that. Hopefully I’m on a good team that can go far in the tournament.”
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When speaking with The Lexington Herald Leader at the NBA Draft Combine, Momcilovic shared his extensive thoughts on Kentucky and the fit in Mark Pope’s system. “I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” Momcilovic 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. 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.”
Feb 28, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) watches the time tick down in their loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Right now, Louisville is considered the leader for Momcilovic, with Kentucky and St. John’s somewhere behind the Cardinals. The 6-8 forward would obviously cement both Louisville and the Johnnies as National Championship contenders, but fit-wise, you can’t deny how appealing Kentucky is in this recruitment as Pope is aiming to get back to his usual offensive system, similar to year one in Lexington. Momcilovic would boost Kentucky into the top 25 easily.
Can Mark Pope pull it off and reel in the biggest get of his coaching career?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Milan Momcilovic shares thoughts on Kentucky as he weighs decision.
