Big Blue Nation, this is not only the biggest boom of this offseason, but it's almost inarguably the biggest boom of Mark Pope's entire tenure as the head coach in Lexington. Milan Momcilovic, per Joe Tipton, has officially committed to the University of Kentucky. Boom, once more, for good measure.
Rated the No. 2 transfer in the class (according to 247Sports) Momcilovic's decision has been long hoped-for by Cats fans tracking his NBA Draft decision. Shortly after the star transfer decided to return to the college level, the Cats swooped in and made his recruitment a one horse race.
Now finding a new home in the blue and white, Momcilovic will bring 17 points per game and a nation-leading 48.7% clip from three-point range to a Kentucky team that lacked his exact qualities this past season. He's the perfect, ultimate pickup for the current roster.
And he's also evidence that Mark Pope has finally turned a corner on the recruiting front. This is a win in so many ways for a program that desperately needed it.
A Win in Numerous Ways
From the jump, Cats fans will be sure to let the folks down the road hear about this one. Louisville seemed to be the other suitor coming down to the wire for Momcilovic; Kentucky landing his commitment marks what is essentially the first Pope vs. Kelsey, head-to-head recruiting battle.
Don't be afraid to spell this one out for Louisville fans for weeks to come any way you can.
But through a wider, more important lens, Pope desperately needed a win of this size on the recruiting trail. After missing on No. 1 overall freshman Tyran Stokes, as well as star transfers Donnie Freeman and Rob Wright, Kentucky's current roster (while good) seemed to be a far cry from what Pope had intended.
Pope's Best Bet
Now, in securing a name bigger than two of those three in the desired field, the Cats' head coach has firmly bounced back in a big way. Kentucky will undoubtedly climb the national rankings on their way to what could be Pope's best season yet.
In what will be three years in Lexington, with the breaking addition of Momcilovic, this newly improved roster has the plain potential to hit the heights he's been promising Kentucky fans since his hiring.
Momcilovic will slot right into a starting spot on the Wildcats' wing, taking the reins as the undisuputed primary scorer (at least from the outside) and a guy with invaluable experience on the exact level that Kentucky is trying to get to: The National Championship.
Add us as a preferred source on Google