Pewaukee High School haunts Kentucky basketball again in March Madness
The University of Kentucky has likely had quite enough of Pewaukee High School, and it’s got nothing to do with the Watt family.
For the second time in three years, a PHS alumnus played a major role in eliminating the Wildcats men’s basketball team from the NCAA Tournament. Two years after Jack Gohlke delivered a performance for the ages and lifted Oakland to a stunning first-round upset, Milan Momcilovic and Iowa State beat Kentucky, 82-63, on March 22, the Wildcats’ worst NCAA Tournament loss since 1971.
Second-seeded Iowa State, a team loaded with Wisconsin connections, moved to Chicago for the Midwest regional and will face Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on March 27. With a win, Iowa State would potentially face Michigan for the program’s first Final Four berth since 1944.
Momcilovic, far and away the best qualified three-point shooter in NCAA Division I men’s basketball this year, hit six of his 12 shots overall and four of nine from deep for his 20 points, with five rebounds and two steals. Iowa State was led by Tamin Lipsey, who had 26 points, 10 assists and five steals. The duo went a long way toward helping the Cyclones roll even without injured star Joshua Jefferson, hurt in the team’s first-round win.
Momcilovic never crossed paths with Gohlke at Pewaukee High School. Gohlke was a senior at the school in 2018, two years before Momcilovic arrived as a freshman. But playing for Oakland in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Gohlke hit a stunning 10 three-pointers and helped the Golden Grizzlies shock Kentucky in a first-round game, 80-76.
Gohlke had success in high school, but nothing compared to what Momcilovic enjoyed, with his team winning three consecutive state titles beginning with Momcilovic’s sophomore year in 2021. The Pirates went back to the state final in 2024 behind two other Division I players – guard Nick Janowski and Momcilovic’s brother, Luka, who were teammates in 2025-26 at St. Thomas University in Minnesota. PHS fell to undefeated Wisconsin Lutheran and future NBA standout Kon Knueppel in the final. The Vikings have gone on to win two more titles for their own run of three straight.
Kentucky may petition not to see St. Thomas in next year’s NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State’s connections to the Badger State include head coach T.J. Otzelberger (who went to St. Thomas More High School), who’s led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament all five seasons at the helm and previously made two trips with South Dakota State. This will be his third Sweet 16. The Cyclones haven’t been to the Elite Eight since 2000.
His assistants include former Whitefish Bay Dominican star J.R. Blount, newly named head coach at UC-San Diego, and former Milwaukee Vincent standout Diante Garrett. Another assistant, Kyle Green, is the father of Milwaukee Bucks player A.J. Green.
Aside from Momcilovic, Wisconsin players on the roster include Jamarion Batemon (Milwaukee Academy of Science), Anthony Rise (Brookfield Central) and Xzavion Mitchell (Oshkosh North). The school’s Wisconsin pipeline has always been strong, including former Oshkosh North and NBA star Tyrese Haliburton among its alumni, as well as another former NBA player, Matt Thomas (Onalaska). Former Racine St. Catherine’s star Tyrese Hunter was on the team that upset Wisconsin in the 2022 NCAA second round in Milwaukee.
Momcilovic was named second-team all-conference in the Big 12 this year, closing the season at a cool 50% shooting from three-point range. In the process, he set an Iowa State single-season mark in three-pointers made – previously 102 and now up to 134.
At 6-foot-8, he’s the first power-conference player at that height or taller to shoot 50% from three-point range in the history of college basketball.
