After it looked like Wheeler basketball star E.J. Montgomery might attend Duke University, the Wildcats’ high school All-American announced on Monday he will sign with the University of Kentucky instead.
Montgomery, a 6-foot-10 senior, said on a Kentucky-based radio program that he was committing to Kentucky, and he has been relaying reports of his decision on social media.
In addition to Duke, Montgomery also was considering North Carolina and Vanderbilt. He’s the latest Wheeler star to commit to a major-college program, and the lineage is a rich one that includes a number of past and present NBA players, including most recently Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Montgomery is considered one of the Top 10 high school players in the country in most recruiting rankings, and like many of that caliber, may end up playing only a year in college before turning pro. Brown, now in his second season in the NBA, played only one season at California.
Kentucky’s Calipari has embraced the “one-and-done” model, as has Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Calipari also has coached several post players at Kentucky who’ve gone on to NBA stardom, including Anthony Davis and DaMarcus Cousins.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Montgomery decided on Kentucky after Calipari paid an in-home visit on Sunday.
Montgomery recently played in the McDonald’s High School All-American game at Philips Arena (see video highlights below).
As a senior at Wheeler, Montgomery averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Wildcats were 18-11 and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament in their first season under coach Larry Thompson. He succeeded Doug Lipscomb, who led Wheeler to six state titles in 25 seasons.
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