Milan Momcilovic couldn’t have scripted a better Kentucky debut, helping lead the Wildcats to an 85-57 season-opening victory over the Manhattan Jaspers.
The first-year Wildcat finished the night with a team-high 24 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, shooting 8-12 from the field and 6-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Redshirt freshman Braydon Hawthorne and Momcilovic’s five boards were second on the stat sheet for UK, sitting behind center Malachi Moreno’s 10 rebounds. So not only did Momcilovic lead UK in points, but he was tied for second on the team in rebounds.
In terms of ripping the rock, though, head coach Mark Pope praised Momcilovic after the game, highlighting that his shooting abilities are something that UK fans should grow accustomed to.
“It was great to see Milan make shots,” Pope said. “I think we are going to see that every single night all season.”
It didn’t take long for Momcilovic to catch fire, shooting 3-for-5 from deep in the first half and 3-for-4 in the second half, looking completely comfortable with his new teammates while picking up right where he left off from a season ago. With Iowa State last season, Momcilovic made 136 3-pointers, finishing first in the entire nation in 3-point shooting percentage. Everyone knows the kid’s a shooter, but a simple game plan won’t always be able to limit his abilities.
“Yeah, I feel like seeing the ball go through the rim is just confidence for myself first, and then for my teammates a little bit,” Momcilovic said after the win.
Aside from Momcilovic’s performance counting as a confidence-booster, the 6-foot-9 forward penciled his name into some UK basketball history as well, matching former Wildcat Antonio Reeves’ (2022) record for the most 3-point field goals made by a Kentucky player in his debut.
Momcilovic has his eyes set on a greater feat, though; at SEC Media Days back in October, Momcilovic publicized his ambitions of breaking the single-season 3-point record at Kentucky, which is currently held by Jodie Meeks, who landed 117 deep balls during the 2008-09 season. After draining six 3-pointers in the first night, I’d say he’s off to a pretty strong start.
Momcilovic and the Wildcats are back in action on Friday, Nov. 6, when the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference roll into town. Tipoff for that game is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the SEC Network.
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