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AMES — Iowa State junior forward Milan Momcilovic understands — and has worked to avoid — the stigma attached to the term “volume shooter.”
The label implies a basketball player chooses quantity over quality when hunting a shot. It also often hints at an inherent selfishness, or an “I’m gonna get mine” mentality at whatever cost.
But it turns out all of those perceptions were wrong. At least in Momcilovic’s case. He’s being encouraged to hoist up 3-pointers whether he’s open or under duress because he’s simply that skilled as a shooter.
Forget percentages. Fire away and fill the stat sheet. No conscience, no worries.
“Based on the fact that he’s put so much time in and his superpower is shooting the ball, or his touch to make shots, there (have been) times where he can be a little bit of a percentage protector,” said Cyclone men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team is deep into its demanding summer practice schedule. “Where he wants to take a safer shot, or a more open shot. We want him to shoot ’em contested. We want him to shoot ’em in transition. We want him to shoot ’em after offensive rebounds.
“We want to get him off quicker. We want him to shoot ’em on the move. We want all of those.”
The 6-foo-8 Momcilovic — who shot 40 percent from 3-point range last season — has embraced that confidence-boosting message. He’s also been forced to adopt the volume-based approach recently after fellow star forward Joshua Jefferson injured his wrist. He’ll be out for the next week, but will return to full participation immediately after that relatively brief hiatus.
“With Joshua out, I’ve gotta do a lot of scoring,” said Momcilovic, who drained two or more 3-pointers in nine of ISU’s final 11 games last season. “So I think just coming in with that mindset of I’m gonna score the most points, I’m gonna be the most aggressive, I’m gonna shoot the most even it doesn’t go in — that’s OK. Just get the most shot attempts up. That’s my mindset.”
Momcilovic took an average of 5.8 long-range shots last season. Otzelberger would like to see that number spike toward 10 this season.
“You’ve gotta be constantly on the hunt,” Otzelberger said. “Being the guy that we know, he’s gonna shoot 40 (percent), but doing it as a guy that makes north of three (3s) a game — to do that, you’ve gotta be constantly on the hunt. Always he aggressive. Never leave an opportunity on the table.”
For good reason. Momcilovic was forced to sit out nearly a month last season because of a hand injury and that unwelcome break from the court did furnish him with one side benefit.
“There (were) a couple of games where they lost without me and (I could) see the team really needed me,” he said. “So when I came back, I came back with that mindset that this team really needs me, and came back aggressive, and I felt like I played better the second half of the year.”
The key for Momcilovic is consistency — and that’s true in terms of shot volume, scoring output, rebounding and defensive intensity. Momcilovic can do it all. He just needs to prove it on a nightly basis.
“For five weeks (this summer) he looks like a guy who’s a first-team all-league player,” said Otzelberger, whose team returns a robust core four of Momcilovic, Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise. “Hunting his shot, staying aggressive, tremendous leadership, energy. Everything Milan is doing is at such a high level, but now the key is to maintain that over time.”
No conscience, no worries and no regrets. And with some good-natured trash-talking on the side when those tightly-contested 3-pointers swish through the net.
“Yeah,” he said. “I see a couple of those go in and then I’m just firing from anywhere and I start trash-taking everyone.”
So the stigma’s gone and the shots are flying.
“It’s gonna put tremendous pressure on our opponents,” Otzelberger said. “It’s gonna be a huge step for his development.”
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