Calipari's first comments on UK's newest signee: 'He models his game after Anthony Davis'
UK officially announced the signing of five-star post player EJ Montgomery on Monday, the most recent addition to the Wildcats' recruiting class of 2018.
Montgomery — a 6-foot-11 power forward from Marietta, Ga. — committed to Kentucky on April 9 and signed with the program a few days later. The signing period for college basketball ends Wednesday, but teams can still add players between then and the start of next season.
“I hope our fans understand just how good EJ is and how excited we are to have him,” UK Coach John Calipari said in the announcement Monday. “You’re talking about a skilled big man who can affect the game in a number of ways. EJ is the type of position-less player the game is moving towards. He can play just about anywhere and make plays on the perimeter with his skills and versatility, yet he’s got the length and the ability to finish in the post as well as anyone in this class. What I love about him is he models his game after Anthony Davis, one of the best we’ve ever had, but wants to be his own player and carve out his legacy.”
Montgomery picked UK over scholarship offers from Duke, North Carolina and several other top programs. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2018 class, and he averaged 25.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game as a senior this past season.
“My goal for picking a school was to find a program that could push me as a player to reach my dream and as a person to grow; a school that made sure me and my family’s dreams became their dreams and that would push me to be my best. I’ve found that with Coach Cal and the University of Kentucky,” Montgomery said in the statement. “I’m proud to be a part of the Big Blue Nation where the standard is excellence, which is what my mother and father have instilled in me.”
He joins fall signees Immanuel Quickley, Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro in UK's recruiting class, which also includes Lexington Catholic forward Zan Payne, who will join the Cats as a walk-on player. Kentucky also has a commitment from five-star point guard Ashton Hagans, who is currently in the class of 2019 but is expected to reclass to 2018 later this summer and join the Cats for next season.
This story was originally published May 14, 2018 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Calipari's first comments on UK's newest signee: 'He models his game after Anthony Davis'."