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Iowa State Basketball Received Truly Historic Season From Milan Momcilovic

Milan Momcilovic had a more historic season than people realized shooting the ball.
Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA;  Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots over Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum.
Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots over Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

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The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season was truly special for Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Mimcilovic.

He broke the program record for 3-pointers made in a single season with 136. A volume shooter, attempting 7.5 3-pointers per game, he also led the country by connecting on 48.7% of his tries.

Momcilovic is the first men’s basketball player to lead the country in both statistics in the same season. It was a truly impressive shooting display that he put on, which put him into a class of his own when it comes to 3-point shooting.

As shared by Kyle Tucker, the director of college basketball content for 247Sports, Momcilovic is the only player since the 3-point line was introduced to make 130+ attempts while making at least 48% of those shots.

Milan Momcilovic perfectly blended volume and efficiency

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots the ball over Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts.
Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots the ball over Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts (3) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

It is that 3-point shooting skill that he hoped would be enough to get selected during the 2026 NBA Draft. Testing the draft waters made all the sense in the world coming off such a historic campaign, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Feedback received wasn’t overly encouraging, which led to Momcilovic withdrawing his name. Unfortunately, declaring at all essentially ended his career with Iowa State, as the timeline was an impossible one for them to work on.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger needed to fill out the other holes on the roster, and waiting for a decision from the sharpshooting forward was not feasible. As a result, he entered the transfer portal and committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Mark Pope is getting a truly elite weapon to deploy offensively. There has never been a player to shoot 3-pointers with the volume of Momcilovic and be as efficient as he was.

As shared by Corey Price on X, the former Cyclones star is the only player in Division I men’s basketball history to shoot at least 48% from 3-point range when attempting 270+ 3-pointers in a single campaign.

That kind of high-volume and efficiency is unheard of. The Iowa State faithful would have certainly loved to see him take down 3-point records for their program, helping lead the team on another run in the NCAA tournament.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as he will spend his senior year with Kentucky. The Wildcats’ single-season record for 3-pointers made is 117 by Jodie Meeks during the 2008-09 campaign.

That is a number Momcilovic could certainly have within his sights once the season rolls around, especially in the fast-paced offense that head coach Mark Pope runs, which emphasizes 3-point shooting.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.