Milan Momcilovic Player to Watch for Julius Erving Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has recognized Kentucky’s Milan Momcilovic as one of 20 players across the nation on the Preseason Watch List for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, it was announced Wednesday.
The Julius Erving Award has been awarded to the top small forward in collegiate basketball dating back to 2015. The initial list of 20 players will remain fluid throughout the season. The list will narrow down to 10 players in late February, before the final five are selected in March. The 2027 award winner will be announced at the Final Four in Detroit.
Widely considered one of the top transfers of the offseason, Momcilovic arrives in Lexington coming off a stellar junior year at Iowa State. The 6-foot-9 forward led the country in both total 3-pointers made (136) and 3-point field goal percentage (48.7%) on his way to averaging a career-high 16.9 points per game. Momcilovic was Second Team All-Big 12 and a Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection, helping the Cyclones to a 29-8 overall record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, Momcilovic scored in double figures 29 times, including 14 games with 20 or more points. His 136 made 3s ranked second all-time in Big 12 single-season history, while also setting an Iowa State program record. During his three years in Ames, Momcilovic connected on 260 3-pointers in total, ranking him tied for the second-most in program history. For his career, Momcilovic has made 101 starts and appeared in 102 contests while averaging 13.2 points per game along with 3.2 rebounds. He is a career 42.9% shooter from beyond the arc.
Through UK’s first two exhibition games this season, Momcilovic is leading the team with an average of 15.5 points per game. The native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin is 6-of-11 (.545) from 3-point range and 8-of-14 (.571) from the field overall. Momcilovic has also averaged 5.5 rebounds per game and is a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line.
Kentucky takes the court later tonight for its final exhibition contest against UCF at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and air on SEC Network.
Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List
Amari Allen – Alabama
Ivan Kharchenkov – Arizona
Billy Richmond III – Arkansas
Bruce Branch III – BYU
Dame Sarr – Duke
Thomas Haugh – Florida
Davis Fogle – Gonzaga
Andrej Stojakavic – Illinois
Tyan Stokes – Kansas
Milan Momcilovic – Kentucky
Shelton Henderson – Miami
Coen Carr – Michigan State
Pryce Sandfort – Nebraska
Anthony Thompson – Ohio State
Tounde Yessoufou – St. John’s
Aiden Tobiason – Syracuse
Juke Harris – Tennessee
Nikola Kusturica – UCLA
Colben Landrew – Uconn
Amani Hansberry – Virginia Tech
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
