Freshman Milan Momcilovic wowing Iowa State teammates with his shooting ability

AMES — The subject centered on Iowa State freshman forward Milan Momcilovic’s elite ability to score.

The description of it, courtesy of senior Cyclone big man Robert Jones, came in triplicate.

“Milan can shoot the lights off the ball, shoot the rubber off the ball, shoot the leather off the ball,” Jones said recently. “He can really shoot it. That’s why I said it three times.”

And in three colorful ways. Momcilovic can drain long range shots both spotting up and off the dribble. He’s adept around the rim, too, making him a hard guard despite his relatively young age.

“I don’t think I expected to come in and make this kind of impact right away,” said the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Momcilovic. “But I knew coming in that my offensive game was my strongest asset in my game. Obviously, I can shoot the ball. That’s what I’m really good at, so that’s what I’ve got to focus on.”

Momcilovic — a consensus top-50 recruit from from Pewaukee, Wis., who committed to ISU last July — averaged 22.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in high school last season. He earned Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the process and helped Pewaukee win its third straight Division 2 state title last winter.

“He’s a highly skilled player,” Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “He really understands what the right play is, makes the extra pass and can really get it going shooting the basketball. When you’re 6-8, 6-9, whatever he is, and you’ve got a high release and a quick release on your shot, when it’s going well, there’s not a lot anyone can do about it.”

Hence the high praise from Jones. And hence the hype that Momcilovic — who along with five-star recruit Omaha Biliew headlined ISU’s top-10 class of 2023 — can contribute greatly sooner rather than later. Still, he knows Otzelberger always puts a premium on defensive effort and efficiency, and he’s been vigorously working to get better on that end of the floor.

“It’s been an adjustment on the court,” Momcilovic said. “Just all the work that we put in, kind of the weight room stuff and the individual workouts. It’s kind of different in that aspect of how hard we work and then just practice in general. (I’ve) really never been in a practice like this where it’s mainly focused a lot (on) defense and offense is just second hand.”

That’s how Otzelberger and his staff determine who’s all in and who’s most hungry for game minutes. It’s a grueling workload that once adopted becomes a lifestyle. The sweat of summer fuels success in the winter, but the demands are unrelenting and the commitment must be complete.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way defensively,” Momcilovic said. “Came in, struggled obviously a little bit — just the different concepts they teach you, I’ve never really seen that before, so just getting adapted to that. I feel like I still have a long way to go until November, but I’m making it day by day.”

He’ll get there. He’s already impressed his teammates so much with his shooting ability, they can’t stop talking it up. Or won’t stop, anyway.

“I’d pass the ball to Milan every time if I could,” transfer guard Keshon Gilbert said with a smile.

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