Milan Momcilovic commits to Kentucky

[enisthemenace]

Let the pressure begin....

This guy ain’t wrong.

Milan is a hell of a shooter. There is no denying that. I thought he had improved a great deal defensively, but it’s not a strength by any means. He doesn’t rebound, but that could be a function of wanting him to stay outside or get out on breaks. Could.

As for rim usage, Milan got better at taking the open lane when one presented itself this year, and showed he can back guys down, but that is a limitation if the person guarding him has any kind of strength or the opposing coach is any good.

I know it’s a one game sample, without possibly our best player and certainly our best inside guy, but look no further than Tennessee. He was almost completely ineffective in that game. He got hit with the double whammy. Tennessee could body him and Rick Barnes isn’t an idiot. When Milan did try to back his guy down, there was an immediate double, sometimes a collapsed triple team. Milan couldn’t find an open guy.

I’m too lazy to look it up, but finding an open guy isn’t in his repertoire either. When he had the ball, he was most likely shooting it, or handing off.

I loved Milan’s game, and I’m pretty sure a large part of that is because TJ and staff built a system and team that complimented his strengths.

I’m not sure Pope has done that.

 

[harimad]

The butthurt around here is somewhat understandable but is it really all that different than turning pro? Especially if he never plays against the Clones?

Absolutely it is different.

1. When a Cyclone turns pro, they actually turn pro- they don’t play for another college team
2. If he does go to the pros, he won’t be introduced as “from Iowa State University”
3. When a Cyclone turns pro I end up with a rooting interest in the team he plays for. I don’t lose all interest in him.

 

[jmb]

Absolutely it is different.

1. When a Cyclone turns pro, they actually turn pro- they don’t play for another college team
2. If he does go to the pros, he won’t be introduced as “from Iowa State University”
3. When a Cyclone turns pro I end up with a rooting interest in the team he plays for. I don’t lose all interest in him.

These athletes are professional the day they walk on campus. These are 18-23 yo pro ball players.

 

[AllInForISU]

These athletes are professional the day they walk on campus. These are 18-23 yo pro ball players.

Disagree. They are semi professional athletes when they come on campus. The vast majority of them don’t make enough in NIL to do anything of note with it.

 

[FinalFourCy]

Disagree. They are semi professional athletes when they come on campus. The vast majority of them don’t make enough in NIL to do anything of note with it.

Nearly all of the MBB roster will make more than most full time jobs

 

[BryceC]

I’m not going to lie, this whole thread makes me want to vomit. **** this new reality, **** the inequities the Big10 and SEC have created, **** what it does to fans, **** what it does to our Olympic sports, and **** everyone who thought that the NCAA trying to keep a level playing field was in the wrong leading to this travesty of Greed that we see today. I do believe in amateurism and giving a living stipend or treating sports program players like student-jobs or Work-study is as far as it should have ever gone.

/Rant

The only solution to this was letting players collectively bargain, but that’s been a taboo forever.

Instead of doing that and establishing a sustainable system, we have the Wild West now.

There’s nothing the NCAA could do, we had a Supreme Court ruling that was a landslide.

 

[BryceC]

Thats why for me this screams money grab. He went with the highest bidder. Even if he didnt want to play against ISU in the future, Arizona is the choice if you are going by basketball, location, coach.

If he leaves Iowa State, he is smart enough to know any other fan base will look at him as a mercenary.

And mercenaries get paid.

 

[HouClone]

Wandered over to the Kentucky board. A fan posted he is worried that Milan can't handle the SEC's physicality. Pretty much every fan jumped on the guy. A lot of respect for the Big 12, Iowa State, and Otz. Most were saying the Big 12 was better and more tougher than the SEC.

 

[AuH2O]

Insane cope. Good work.

Campbell wasn’t exactly doing it for free. These coaches long ago stopped GAF about fan-think.

I doubt Milan will have any regrets getting paid $6 million to play at a blue blood, while in a cushier role

Campbell seems like he had stopped enjoying coaching for a while. He definitely did not mellow over the years. Quite the opposite. He started losing his **** more and more.

 

[AuH2O]

And this is the part I don't understand. What difference does it matter if he chose UK or 'zag or St. John's? Just be thankful it wasn't 'zona.

Non-Big 12 is a good thing, but I hate Kentucky. Program full of douche players, douche coaches and douche fans.

I’ve always wanted Kentucky players to fail, except maybe playing the hawks. Next year will be no different. Players are all in one year free agent deals. Likewise I cheer for the ISU roster on a year to year basis.

 

[loyalsons4evertrue]

We had gymnastics? Should have been cut years ago.

The only notable thing is Campbell leaving, particularly leaving for another school, as it meant more transfers

This isn’t even on the list of most miserable years

I get it, most of you only care about football and MBB, and while I obviously want our profitable sports to be doing well, I also care about our Olympic sports too. I want our soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and softball teams to be good too.

 

[loyalsons4evertrue]

Or you could look at the positives:

- We had another elite hoops season. JJeffs injury doesn't wreck what was accomplished over the entire season. And we'll be placing another outstanding, AA player in the NBA with JJeff being a 1st rounder.

- We just signed TJ to a huge extension that pays him elite money among all hoops coaches.

- TJ just signed what will probably be his best portal haul. And he did so batting 1.000 with all 5 top targets committing on the same weekend. Any other coach pull that off?

- We hired what most football insiders in the know consider one of the best young up-and-coming football coaches in JR. And JR went on to sign a lot of good players in the portal. And I'll add that I think we're a sleeper in football next season.

- We have a new president who's aggressively pursuing untapped revenue streams enabling us to pay out more in NIL. Obviously that played a roll in TJ's running the table.

- We have a lot coming back in hoops even with the departures. And that coupled with the new guys should make for another really fun, successful season with another NCAA Tourny and hopefully a deep run.

I'll finish by saying it's as if some on here really believe no other school deals with adversity of any kind with their teams (coaches and players leaving, a situation like we have in WBB, injuries etc). Every school has stuff like this to deal with at various times. And the way you know who the truly good programs are is if they keep the train a rollin'. The men's hoops train ain't slowing down because Milan Moneybags left. Our hoops brand is elite right now.

And I'll go on to make a somewhat bold prediction that when it's all said and done, JR will surpass what Campbell accomplished here. Book it.

You bring up good points for sure and obviously other schools do deal with bad injury luck and coaches leaving but this year has felt like it's all come crashing down.

And for what it's worth, as fun as our basketball season was, you're judged based on how you do in March and the J Jeff injury is just another "what if" in Cyclone basketball lore.

I know it's hard to believe based on my previous comment but I do truly try to be positive and I am excited for a new look with our football team, but this athletics year has just been one gut punch after another.

 

[FinalFourCy]

Campbell seems like he had stopped enjoying coaching for a while. He definitely did not mellow over the years. Quite the opposite. He started losing his **** more and more.

in that case he can’t lose something at PSU that he already lost

 

[ClonesTwenty1]

in that case he can’t lose something at PSU that he already lost

He has a ton of pressure at PSU to win and win now. PSU media also won’t be so nice to him like Ames. If they struggle Campbell is probably going to lose his ******* ****. He got close a couple times around here with the hot seat guy and many times on the post game media podium. I imagine Matt will age terribly over the next few years in college station.

 

[Rural]

We won this trade so big the league will probably step in.

 

[jmb]

Disagree. They are semi professional athletes when they come on campus. The vast majority of them don’t make enough in NIL to do anything of note with it.

I don't mind that you are wrong

 

[Marcelason78]

Disagree. They are semi professional athletes when they come on campus. The vast majority of them don’t make enough in NIL to do anything of note with it.

You may very well be right, but how do we know? Has the AD ever disclosed how the money given to FB, MBB, and WBB is distributed?

 

[Rural]

Kentucky is a collection of expensive toys the upset will be if they're actually good.

 

[Klubber]

You bring up good points for sure and obviously other schools do deal with bad injury luck and coaches leaving but this year has felt like it's all come crashing down.

And for what it's worth, as fun as our basketball season was, you're judged based on how you do in March and the J Jeff injury is just another "what if" in Cyclone basketball lore.

I know it's hard to believe based on my previous comment but I do truly try to be positive and I am excited for a new look with our football team, but this athletics year has just been one gut punch after another.

March madness is a fickle mistress. You need luck to make a deep run. There were lots of teams this year who had injuries to deal with that affected their NCAA Tourney performance or whether they even got in. NC and Texas Tech come to mind. Both were Final Four caliber if healthy.

KU lost their leading scorer before the Tourney a couple of years ago (Kevin McCullar) which doomed their chances, and then had Darryn Peterson hurt for this year's Tourney. Houston lost Jamal Shead vs Duke in the Sweet 16 in '24 and lost as a result. With Shead they were a Final Four type team.

I believe we'll get to the Final Four in TJ's tenure. And hopefully more than once. But I think he'll have us at that level more often than not. And we're due for a little luck I think.

 

[Psiclone]

Lol, this was announced on Reddit like a month ago.

He committed to Kentucky a month ago? I don't know how I missed that announcement....