Milan Momcilovic withdraws from the 2026 NBA Draft

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Don't now accuracy or how up-to-date...

Highest-Spending Men's Basketball Programs

1 Indiana $32.0 million Highest spending, though included significant severance payments from coaching change
2 Duke $25.4 million Highest among No. 1 seeds in 2026 March Madness
3 Tennessee $23.2 million Leading SEC spender
4 Texas $22.4 million Major spending despite underperformance
5 Kentucky $22 million Also leading transfer portal spender at $22M
6 Arkansas $21.3 million Top SEC spender with strong roster
 
As fans of a team, watching good players leave to get paid somewhere else flat out sucks. It does make it hard to be fans of individual players because they could go anywhere anytime.

Especially for older fans (like me) where your kids went to ISU, and you can empathize with the players as being in the same boat. You want them to succeed and be happy, just as your own kids when they were in school. So having them leave is tough, it sucks. But also, you have to be kind of happy they are going ot make bank and be successful. Lot of mixed emotions on it for me.
 
Until the opponent has a lockdown perimeter defender in Milan's face the whole game and he goes 2-9 FG, scoring 6 points in 33 minutes...

Yeah, don't see that happening very often when he's playing as the ~3rd best scoring option on a team that's playing worse opposition.
 
He's making bank and will get bank in the NBA

Is there a reason he needs to maintain goodwill?
Yea, with how NIL is going it's clearly demonstrated players don't really care about the schools or their fans. After he makes 6 mil and then goes to the NBA, in all honesty why would he think about Iowa State. After transferring why would we want to stay connected with him in recruiting purposes, he's not going to donate, etc.
 
Two thoughts on money-

1. if ISU did have $7M to pay Milan, would TJ want to do it? That's so much money that fans would go insane every time he missed a shot. And would it wreck your team-first dynamic in the lockerroom? Might be a bad idea even if it was an option.

2. are we sure this magical $7M is real? or is that a faux number that has become real just because its a number? Is it possible Milan could get $3M only, and if so, would THAT be feasible for ISU?
 
Yea, with how NIL is going it's clearly demonstrated players don't really care about the schools or their fans. After he makes 6 mil and then goes to the NBA, in all honesty why would he think about Iowa State. After transferring why would we want to stay connected with him in recruiting purposes, he's not going to donate, etc.

It would be cool to have your jersey and name hanging in the rafters of an arena. Don’t know if he would’ve been had he stayed, but there was a chance. I’d expect Lipsey’s to be there one day.
 
Or... you could be attached to the athlete but be adult enough to have some understanding when the situation changes and not lose your **** over it.
I don't think people are losing their s**t over Milan coming back to college. But people are to the point where they don't care about players that leave (while making millions of dollars) and maybe even want it to blow up in their face to realize what they did have.
 
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Two thoughts on money-

1. if ISU did have $7M to pay Milan, would TJ want to do it? That's so much money that fans would go insane every time he missed a shot. And would it wreck your team-first dynamic in the lockerroom? Might be a bad idea even if it was an option.

2. are we sure this magical $7M is real? or is that a faux number that has become real just because its a number? Is it possible Milan could get $3M only, and if so, would THAT be feasible for ISU?

Not for ISU. They will struggle to hit that $21m amount. And even if they do, it needs to be spread across all sports. You can’t drop even $3m on him while keeping coach Rogers happy.

So it comes down to whether a donor or advertiser is willing to drop $3m on him. A national company probably can, but they’re going to want him at a bigger name school. Warby Parker isn’t doing a Manning ad if he wasn’t at Texas. State Farm isn’t doing a Boozer commercial if they aren’t at Duke. And the local companies wouldn’t dream of spending enough on a single ad campaign to get him to stay here.
 
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Yeah, don't see that happening very often when he's playing as the ~3rd best scoring option on a team that's playing worse opposition.
It's why he needs to go to St John's. Pitino will put him in a spot to be shooting wide open 3s all the time.

He might get more cash somewhere else but, if he wants to be an NBA guy, Pitino is the choice and it's not like St John's is poor.
 
I don't people are losing their s**t over Milan coming back to college. But people are to the point where they don't care about players that leave (while making millions of dollars) and maybe even want it to blow up in their face to realize what they did have.

It was a bit satisfying to see Hunter fail so miserably.
 
If you hate Audi, but justify Rocco and Milan, its either racial,sexist or a distain of a body shape. Theyre all the same turncoats for cash.

Or maybe some of us prefer teams that make the sweet 16 to those that don't. It's no question to me that I've been more disappointed in WBB the last 3 years than either FB or MBB.

I don't hate any of them. Disappointing to see them all leave but I understand why.
 
Ya'll are nuts. I'd wager to guess the vast majority of you cheer your ass off for Hali in the NBA. That's someone who vastly underperformed at our school (compared to what he's shown in the NBA) and took bank to leave early.

Now we have Milan who vastly overperformed for us (compare to Omaha, same class) and you're pissed off that he's taking a paycheck? Every single one of you would sell your 'banner in the rafters' for $7M.

ETA - I also HATE what college sports have become, but don't hate the player, hate the game.
 
Ya'll are nuts. I'd wager to guess the vast majority of you cheer your ass off for Hali in the NBA. That's someone who vastly underperformed at our school (compared to what he's shown in the NBA) and took bank to leave early.

Now we have Milan who vastly overperformed for us (compare to Omaha, same class) and you're pissed off that he's taking a paycheck? Every single one of you would sell your 'banner in the rafters' for $7M.

ETA - I also HATE what college sports have become, but don't hate the player, hate the game.

It’s rather different to go to NBA vs going to competition
 
I'm a fan of Iowa State. I reserve a place in my heart for players who finish their collegiate careers at ISU. Brock, Niang, Sage, Seneca, Ejim to name a few. Rocco, Milan, and Audi will not fall into that category. Always appreciate what they did for Iowa State but they will never be held in the same esteem.
Yeah but those guys were before the NIL Era so there's an asterisk to their "loyalty". Chances are that at least a few of them would have jumped to another school for the bigger paycheck as well, that's just the way it is for the majority of these athletes. If one of the current Cyclones breaks out this season, I predict Toure, they will likely be gone too.
 

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