Kentucky fans knew their coach was going after an excellent shooter, but he's actually better than you may think. On Monday, the Wildcats picked up a commitment from Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, ranked as the #1 transfer on ESPN and top three elsewhere. It was a massive get and it's big for multiple reasons. Not only is he an excellent fit for how Mark Pope likes to play, but he's the best shooter he could've gotten.
Last season with Iowa State, Momcilovic actually not only broke program records with his shooting, but he made national history with his performance. The 6-8 forward made 136 threes last season and he shot it at an incredible 48% clip. Those efficient numbers are good for the best in D1 college basketball history. Momcilovic did all that while averaging 7.5 attempts per game from three last season, a number that could even see an increase in a Mark Pope offense that loves to prioritize threes. Also, by the way, those numbers would break Kentucky's single-season made threes record, which is currently 117, held by Jodie Meeks.
Remember Mark Pope's year one goal of 30-plus threes put up per game, one that was unsuccessful this past season? The head coach is clearly looking to get back to that after seeming to overcorrect on defense and you can tell by who he has on this roster. You've got a facilitator in Zoom Diallo, shot-creator in Alex Wilkins, a versatile forward in Ousmane N'Diaye, an initiating big man with defensive instincts in Malachi Moreno, and plenty of shooters with Milan Momcilovic, Kam Williams, Justin McBride and Jerone Morton. Momcilovic fits perfectly into Pope's plan and the head coach even has more options around him.
Assuming Pope does get back to shooting a lot of threes, Momcilovic is likely to see as many attempts as he saw last season, if not more. With his stretch-four ability along with also being able to play the wing out on the perimeter, the 6-8 forward is going to bring dangerous shooting ability to Lexington and with the shooters around him, it's really going to help open up the offense. Last season, Kentucky was missing it's point guard and consistent shooters to help space things out. Looking at the roster outlook, that shouldn't be a problem next season.
Kentucky has absolutely skyrocketed in preseason rankings since adding Momcilovic to the roster. Previously seen to be a squad not worthy of being top 25, the Wildcats are now firmly inside the rankings in many projections. It's clear how much Kentucky needed Momcilovic. Not only is he the star get that the team was looking for, but there isn't anyone that fits the offense as well as him.
Having the best shooter in college basketball join a coach that loves to shoot threes doesn't sound bad at all.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Milan Momcilovic is bringing historic shooting numbers to Kentucky.