Thomas Haugh, a Florida Gators forward, has yet to decide where he will play basketball next season. He has one more year remaining in Gainesville, but is projected to be a 15-to-20 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Fortunately for Florida, there is a competent replacement in the transfer portal whom it might pursue for next season’s squad in Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic, if Haugh departs. The Cyclone forward is projected to be a top-five transfer, ranking as the No. 2 overall transfer by 247 Sports.
Statistically, Momcilovic is the greatest shooter college basketball has to offer. He is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound shooter who averaged 16. 9 points per game while shooting 50. 6/48. 6/87. 8. This previous season, his 48. 6% 3-point shooting percentage was the best in the nation, and he also made the most 3-pointers, with 136 in all.
However, calling Momcilovic a replacement may not be the greatest way to explain her, since the two are not identical players.
Haugh is a high-motor, do-it-all player. He defends at a high level, can pass the ball effectively for his position, stretches his shooting to beyond the 3-point range, and can finish inside.
In contrast, Momcilovic is essentially a knockdown shooter from long range. He does not give the same level of rebounding or defense as Haugh.
However, defense may not be the final goal for Golden. He has already matched Boogie Fland with Denzel Aberdeen in the backcourt. He is also attempting to keep Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu in the frontcourt. That are four high-level defenders, presuming Aberdeen gains another year of qualification from the NCAA, which means the Gators might benefit from Momcilovic’s excellent shooting.
The Gators desperately missed the Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native’s scoring last year. With the exception of Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown, no other Gator shot 34% from distance on at least 50 attempts.
Another reason Momcilovic is a viable option for Florida is that he is going through the NBA Draft process. With this in mind, the timelines for both Haugh and Momcilovic will be comparable, allowing the Gators to fill the final vacancy in the starting lineup without concern until the final hours of the offseason.
In recent weeks, there have been speculations on social media that the Gators are the early frontrunners to obtain his services. And, while this may be true, his final decision is likely to depend on what Condon and Haugh choose to do with their future. If just one person leaves, the Gators may crank up the heat. However, if both remain, it is difficult to imagine him switching red and yellow for orange and blue.
