Why Iowa State Basketball Star Made the Right Decision Coming Back to College

Here's why Milan Momcilovic made the right decision to return to college.

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Following a busy transfer portal season for the Iowa State Cyclones, one of their top players from last year still isn’t sure where he will be playing for the 2026-27 campaign. 

After a great season for the Cyclones, the team is going to have a much different look next year. Iowa State has seen a lot of their key contributors from the squad move on following a fantastic campaign. 

However, one player who is still undecided about where he will be going is Milan Momcilovic. After a great season with Iowa State, the talented junior wanted to see what his draft stock might look like in the NBA. Even though he was coming off of one of the best shooting seasons in the history of college basketball, there seem to be some concerns about his game at the next level. 

With seemingly no guarantee that he would be a first-round pick, the decision to come back to college and work on his game while likely receiving a significant amount of money seems like a no-brainer.

Momcilovic Makes the Right Decision

; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Even though going to the next level and playing in the NBA is an amazing accomplishment, Momcilovic is seemingly making the right decision to come back to school. With this draft being a strong one, there appears to be no guarantee that he would be a first-round pick. 

If that is the case, he certainly should be coming back to school in order to develop his game. While he was able to put together an impressive campaign, there are still a lot of areas that he can improve upon. Being a better defender and rebounder at his size are arguably the two most glaring areas for Momcilovic to get better at. 

At the next level, his quickness on the perimeter and his strength down low would be a potential issue on the defensive end of the court. Furthermore, while there are areas of his game to improve, the financial side of things is where it really made sense for him to come back. 

With projections for him being around $6-7million, that is a large amount of money to leave on the table. Now, with him officially coming back, where he will be playing is going to be the big question. 

Even though the St. John’s Red Storm might not be in the mix anymore, there are still a number of potential suitors for him. As the best player in the portal, wherever he goes, he will make a massive impact.