ATHENS — The eventual activation of guard De’Shayne Montgomery has created enough excitement in the Georgia Bulldogs’ camp to wonder if they might’ve crossed the line from hyped to overhyped.
Nah, say the Bulldogs.
“Y’all are going to see. He’s different, for sure,” junior forward RJ Godfrey said.
“An energy guy who can provide a little bit of everything on (offense and defense),” guard Silas Demary said.
Said coach Mike White: “‘I’m excited. Our whole staff is excited. His teammates are excited to see, you know, what it’s going to look like for him.”
Montgomery, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard who transferred to UGA from Mount St. Mary’s over the summer, is set to make his Georgia debut Thursday night against Buffalo (7 p.m., SEC Network-Plus). The Bulls (5-5) arrive at Stegeman Coliseum for their second of three consecutive road games and their fourth in December.
Georgia’s 9-1 start is the program’s best in 23 years. The 2001-02 team opened with an 11-1 record. The challenge for the Bulldogs will be to find a way to blend Montgomery into a rotation that has been quite effective so far.
“I’m probably going to have to slow him down a little bit when he gets to the game,” White said with a laugh. “Wearing the G, he’s going to play hard as heck. He’s going to play with joy. That’s how he approaches every day. He’s fun to coach. He’s going to be a good addition to our team.”
Georgia basketball fans haven’t gotten a look at Montgomery because he didn’t meet academic requirements for immediate eligibility when he transferred over the summer. UGA’s fall semester concluded last week, and Montgomery’s work earned NCAA certification.
But he’s been practicing with the Bulldogs all along. Hence, the internal excitement.
“He plays so hard, man,” Godfrey said. “His skill along with his athleticism, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it. Some plays he’ll just jab, drive down the middle and dunk on two people. Other times he’ll just do some crazy stuff. I’m very excited for the fans to see who De’Shayne Montgomery is.”
“He brings intensity and competitiveness,” White said. “He’s a disruptive defender. He puts pressure on the rim offensively. He’s versatile offensively. He’s got great length, you know, so he can play as a (shooting guard), as a (small forward), as a (point guard). He’s kind of all of them, you know. He’s very versatile.”
When he first signed, it was not immediate evident that the Bulldogs were getting that caliber of a player. He was rated No. 287 in the 247Sports transfer rankings, and No. 63 at his position. But there always have been signs of tremendous potential.
Late coming full time to the game of basketball, Montgomery spent one year at Hargrave Military Academy. Then in one season at Mount St. Mary’s, a small school northwest of Baltimore, Montgomery was named rookie of the year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) after averaging 13.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He chose the Bulldogs over Ole Miss, Mississippi State and USC.
Credit: Photo by UGA Athletics
Credit: Photo by UGA Athletics
Georgia coaches have known about Montgomery for a while. He hails from Broward County, Florida, where he starred as a senior at Somerset High.
So, his journey to power-conference college basketball has been a long and arduous one, further complicated by this fall’s academic delays.
It’s safe to say, Montgomery might be more than a tad amped up Thursday night.
“I don’t think it will be any problem; we’ve just got to keep him calm,” said Demary, the Bulldogs’ starting point guard. “I feel likes he’s hyped for tomorrow, and he’ll be level-headed. We’ve just got to keep him from trying to do too much and just play his role.”
Said Godfrey: “It’s going to be awesome to see.”
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