There’s a lot of pressure on Mark Pope heading into this upcoming season in Lexington. He’s been cast into quite the spotlight since taking over the Wildcats two seasons ago but the results haven’t exactly been at the level some have expected. Kentucky has remained competitive but fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and finished just 7th place in the SEC.
As we’ve come to expect from Kentucky, the Wildcats are shedding significant talent to the next level, with both Otega Oweh and Jayden Quaintance drafted last month. The Wildcats lost a number of other contributors like Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison but the cupboard is far from empty. They’ll return freshman center Malachi Moreno and hope for bigger work from rising juniors Trent Noah and Kam Williams and you better believe reinforcements are coming.
It’s not a recruiting class that jumps off the page like John Calipari used to bring to town, but 3-star point guard Mason Williams sure is notable. Once again the transfer class is where the real magic happened, even though Kentucky missed on several of the biggest names. The backcourt gets a huge boost with great scorers like Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins while Franck Kepnang brings size over from Washington.
A far more recent addition clearly became the best news of the offseason when Milan Momcilovic committed to Kentucky in early June. A 6-8 forward from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, he’s a former Top 40 prospect who became a sensation from the start at Iowa State. He started nearly every game across his three seasons with the Cyclones and averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on a Sweet Sixteen team this past year.
It’s not just that Momcilovic was suddenly one of the biggest names in the portal, it’s what he brings to Kentucky’s lineup. He’s got great size and playmaking ability, but he was also the Big 12’s best 3-point shooter, making nearly 49% from long-range. He slides right into a major role in the Wildcats’ offense and virtually saves an offseason that was trending in a tough direction.
As things currently stand, Kentucky has a formidable lineup that can win games next season, but the addition of Momcilovic is clearly significant. He becomes the missing piece that gives that frontcourt a significant boost and adds someone who has proven he can be a great playmaker. With Diallo and Wilkins new in the backcourt, Momcilovic helps form a trio of exciting scorers hoping to get Kentucky back to the top of the SEC race.
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