3 Reasons Iowa State Basketball Can Survive Milan Momcilovic Departure

The Iowa State Cyclones have officially lost Milan Momcilovic. Days after withdrawing his name from the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced that he will be transferring to the Kentucky Wildcats for his senior year.

It is a tough blow for the Cyclones. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger knew he would be losing Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Nate Heise due to exhausting eligibility. But Momcilovic had a year left, and spending it in Ames would have certainly been nice.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The timeline was difficult to navigate, as Otzelberger couldn’t wait until May 27 to fill out his roster. As a result, Momcilovic entered the portal and landed with Kentucky.

It is certainly disappointing to lose a player of that caliber. However, Iowa State can survive that loss, and here are three reasons why.

Jamarion Batemon Development

Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) shoots a three point shot against the Tennessee State Tigers. — Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) shoots a three point shot against the Tennessee State Tigers during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This is one of the most important aspects of the Cyclones being able to replace what Momcilovic brought to the court. He was a historic 3-point shooter, breaking the program record for made 3-pointers with 136. That was the most in the country, and he led the nation, making 48.7% of his attempts.

Expecting a single player to replicate that success from long range is impossible. But Jamarion Batemon is a player who can fill that role. He improved throughout his freshman year and is someone that Otzelberger trusts on the court.

He connected on 37% of his 3-point attempts this past season; that is better than what Momcilovic did during his first campaign in Ames, when he made 35.9% of his 3-point attempts. The skill is certainly there for Batemon to push that number close to 40% as a sophomore.

Improved Depth

Kansas State Wildcats forward Taj Manning (15) warms up before playing against the Houston Cougars. — Feb 14, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Taj Manning (15) warms up before playing against the Houston Cougars at Fertitta Center. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Losing Momcilovic, along with the seniors, is going to be tough to overcome. But Otzelberger did a great job of replenishing the talent pool this offseason, especially in the transfer portal.

Iowa State is going to be able to play different styles, given the depth that was added. There were shortcomings in Momcilovic’s game that his teammates helped compensate for, such as rebounding and individual defense.

Those areas will no longer be a concern with players such as Tre Singleton and Taj Manning being added to the rotation in his place alongside Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta in the frontcourt.

Otzelberger was able to use the money it would have required to keep Momcilovic to add talent up and down the roster.

More 3-point Threats Added

Robert Morris Colonials guard Ryan Prather Jr. (2) shoots during practice. — Mar 20, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Robert Morris Colonials guard Ryan Prather Jr. (2) shoots during practice at Rocket Arena. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

It is unrealistic to expect any player to shoot as well as Momcilovic did from 3-point range last season. At times, the team almost became over-reliant on him, since he was at times their only reliable 3-point threat on the court.

That won’t be the case in 2026-27. Iowa State has added multiple capable shooters to the roster with Jaquan Johnson, Ryan Prather Jr. and Leon Bond in the transfer portal. Batemon, as mentioned previously, is already a good 3-point shooter.

Incoming freshman Christian Wiggins knocked down 41.5% of his attempts en route to winning the 2026 Gatorade Player of the Year Award in Minnesota.

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