Spring stock riser Milan Momcilovic recently took an official visit to Virginia and the visit went very well for the four-star power forward as Tony Bennett and Co. introduced him to Charlottesville.
“It was a great visit,” Momcilovic told CavsCorner. “I thought it was a really cool place and overall it was a really good experience. Meeting with Coach Bennett was really cool. I am glad I was able to see the campus and meet with the entire staff in person.”
One of the topics that Momcilovic talked about with Bennett a good amount is the possibility of being able to earn playing time right away if he were to choose UVa.
“When I met with the staff on my visit, they talked about me possibly playing right away,” Momcilovic explained. “They said that I would have to earn a spot to play right away but they think if I were to be able to earn that spot, they think I could play right away. Coach Bennett said that he would work with me on how to get playing time right away if I choose to go to Virginia.”
What is something that Momcilovic could work on in order to get playing time right away?
“One of the things he really wants me to continue to work on is defense,” he said. “They have a special defense at Virginia and you really have to know what you are doing. A lot of the guys he has coached are starting to make the NBA and they have all been successful on the defensive end so I know I will have to get better at that.”
Getting stronger will be another thing the Wisconsin product will need to continue to work on and he spoke about that and the message he received from Mike Curtis.
“Coach Bennett wants me to improve my strength,” Momcilovic said. “He wants me to get more athletic, get quicker, get stronger in my upper body and my lower body. He had me sit down with the strength and conditioning coach for like 40 minutes and we just talked about all that. All of that type of stuff is going to need to increase a level before I go to college.
“Mike Curtis told me some basic information about the program and then he got into the technology he uses and how it helps people so I was really impressed with the technology they have and he showed the different ways in which it would help me,” he added. “He did a good job showing how it has helped people in the past and he showed me how he would make me better as an athlete.”
Bennett and the Cavaliers only got one year of playing time on the court from Sam Hauser but the comparison to Momcilovic is evident.
“Coach Bennett showed me a few highlights of Sam Hauser and how they used him and he thinks I can play a similar role,” Momcilovic said. “He also showed a few highlights of DeAndre Hunter as Coach Bennett thinks we have some similarities.”
Momcolovic, ranked as the No. 29 overall player in the Rivals150 for 2023, was able to gather a lot from what he saw.
“When watching the highlights of Sam, I see a lot of myself in him,” he said. “He likes to pick and pop, he does a good job of pin downs on screens, he can post up well, he can do a little one on one action. He did a little bit of everything when he was at UVa, he dribbled, passed the ball and shot the ball.”
A lot of the recruits that have visited Virginia recently have been able to talk to fifth-year guard Kihei Clark and Momcolovic was another prospect that was able to talk to the 2019 nation champion.
“He said that going to Virginia was one of the best experiences of his life,” Momcilovic recalled. “He has loved every single bit of going there. He said the coaches have always been great to him and that the people are really nice.”
It does not sound like Momcolovic wants to take that much longer in thinking about a decision and would like to get it done soon.
“I have taken officials to Michigan State, Iowa State, Minnesota, and Virginia and I am scheduled to visit UCLA,” he said. “Those are most likely going to be all the visits I take. I am not positive when I will make my decision but I will be making it soon, definitely before summer ends and even possibly before AAU ends.”
