Iowa State Basketball Coach Shares Statement on Milan Momcilovic

Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger knew that he had his work cut out for him this offseason.

At the very least, he was going to have to replace two stars, Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson, and a key rotation piece in Nate Heise. Now, it turns out that the last player of the team’s Big 3 who had eligibility, Milan Momcilovic, will not be returning as well.

The junior sharpshooter has revealed his decision to enter his name in the transfer portal while simultaneously turning his focus to being selected in the 2026 NBA Draft. It is fair to assume that if he does not receive the kind of feedback he is hoping for, he will choose a new program to play with for his senior campaign in the 2026-27 season.

Otzelberger shared a statement on the decision of his junior forward. Based on what was said, via Jon Rothstein on X, Momcilovic’s departure is one that he has been preparing for.

T.J. Otzelberger shares statement on Milan Momcilovic

“Milan and I have had meaningful discussions about his future over the last couple of weeks. He needs to focus on what is best for him and his family. We can’t thank him enough for what he has done for our program. We look forward to following him as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA.”

His departure creates a major void in the lineup that will be incredibly difficult to fill. Momcilovic was the best shooter in men’s college basketball this past season, becoming the first player to lead the nation in 3-point percentage (48.7%) and 3-point makes (136).

It was one of the best long-range shooting seasons in the history of men’s college basketball, and replacing someone of that caliber will not be easy.

Alas, based on how many players in the transfer portal that Iowa State was hosting in Ames this weekend, it would be safe to assume Otzelberger knew ahead of time that Momcilovic would be putting his name into the transfer portal along with the NBA draft.

The Cyclones have been incredibly busy already this offseason, securing commitments from Bradley Braves guard Jaquan Johnson, Northern Iowa Panthers guard Leon Bond III, Kansas State Wildcats forward Taj Manning and Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton.

The fifth player who visited this weekend was Ryan Prather Jr., a guard from the Robert Morris Colonials. Now that Momcilovic’s news has become official, it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear that Prather is taking the final scholarship spot open on the roster.