Big man Momcilovic sets visit to Virginia

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia is shopping for a future post player and Milan Momcilovic will come to Charlottesville next week to see what the Cavaliers have to offer.

Momcilovic is 6-foot-8, but told On3.com that he has been playing a lot in the post this spring while he averaged 23.2 points for EYBL Louisville. He also told On3 that he’s been told that he plays like Dirk Nowitzki, but that he’s trying to model his game after Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum.

The Team Herro center has already made official visits to two schools, Minnesota and Iowa State, and plans to visit Virginia next weekend, with a fourth visit set June 15-16 to UCLA. His fifth visit will be to either Michigan State or Texas.

He likes what he has learned from UVA and told On3: “Tony Bennett is an all-time great coach and Virginia is an all-time great program. Going there will be very cool. Leon Bond (one of the Cavaliers’ outstanding incoming four-man class) is from my area in Wisconsin and he committed there. He has been talking it up, so that would be cool.”

Another Cavalier player, rising junior Reece Beekman, is originally from the Milwaukee area. In fact, Bond said in a podcast with JerryRatcliffe.com that he and Beekman actually went to school together for a year or two in Wisconsin before Beekman moved to Baton Rouge, La.

Momcilovic told On3 that the main thing he is looking for in a college home is a relationship with the coaching staff, the head coach, assistants and strength coach. Certainly that should be a factor in Virginia’s favor.

“That is obviously going to be big for me, getting stronger,” Momcilovic said. “The player development is important, so I can keep taking my game to the next level. Lastly, just winning … a program that wins at all costs, and I can contribute to that right away.”

Meanwhile, Jamie Kaiser Jr., a 6-6, 200-pound prospect from Bishop Ireton in Alexandria, was in Charlottesville Wednesday for his official visit. Both Momcilovic and Kaiser’s stock have been skyrocketing during the AAU season. Stay tuned.