Jamarion Batemon Will Have Massive Role To Fill With Iowa State Basketball

The Iowa State Cyclones have a few massive holes to fill in their lineup with key contributors not returning to the team for the 2026-27 season.

While Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Nate Heise exhausted eligibility, the team also lost Milan Momcilovic. Because of the timeline of having to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft and withdrawal, he entered the transfer portal so Iowa State could make necessary additions.

His loss is a massive one, as he is coming off a historic shooting season. Momcilovic led men’s college basketball, making 137 3-pointers and knocking down 48.7% of his attempts. Replacing that will be incredibly difficult, but one player is certainly going to try his best.

Jamarion Batemon looks like he will be the player given the first opportunity at filling Momcilovic’s role in the offense. Entering his sophomore year, his level of production and the confidence that head coach T.J. Otzelberger had in him grew as his freshman campaign moved along.

Jamarion Batemon will receive first crack at replacing Milan Momcilovic

Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) shoots the ball against the Tennessee State Tigers. — Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) shoots the ball against the Tennessee State Tigers during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During a recent interview with Cyclone Fanatic, Batemon revealed that the confidence his teammates and the coaching staff have in him is helping prepare him for what will be a major change in his role in Year 2 with the program.

His light was pretty green during his first year in Ames. His 3.9 3-point attempts per game were tied for second on the team with Tamin Lipsey, behind only the 7.5 attempts that Momcilovic had per game.

Batemon quickly proved that the shooting ability that made him such a highly-coveted recruit coming out of high school would translate to the collegiate level. He made 37% of his attempts, which was second on the team amongst rotation players behind Momcilovic again.

Listed at 6-foot-2, Batemon doesn’t have the size that Momcilovic does, but there is no doubting the shooting ability that he possesses. It will be interesting to see how Otzelberger and the coaching staff draw up plays to get him open.

Jamarion Batemon watched his teammate shoot nearly 50% from three while having the greenest light possible.

Batemon knows following up Milan Momcilovic's historic season will be tough but the confidence he gets from the staff and his teammates has him ready to try. pic.twitter.com/1xGftGF32b
— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) July 3, 2026

Whether it was on the move or as a spot-up shooter, Batemon proved dangerous. With a year of collegiate basketball under his belt and an offseason to improve his game, it would not be a surprise to see his performance improve as well.

37% is actually better than what Momcilovic shot in his first season in Ames. The now-Kentucky Wildcats forward made 35.9% of his attempts as a freshman before improving to 39.6% as a sophomore.

If Batemon can experience a similar jump, he could approach 40%, which would make him one of the truly elite shooters in the country. That would be a boon for the Iowa State offense, as it will take a complete team effort to replace their top three scorers from last season.

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