Kentucky forward EJ Montgomery will enter NBA Draft
Thursday 16 April 2020 08:15, UK
Kentucky forward EJ Montgomery will enter the NBA Draft and forego his remaining collegiate eligibility, completing an exodus of Wildcat starters for the pro ranks.
The 6ft 10in sophomore averaged career-highs of 6.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with 31 blocks last season.
Montgomery ranked second on the team in the latter two categories and started 25 of 28 contests. His late tip-in basket lifted Kentucky past Florida 71-70 in the regular-season finale before the postseason was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Fort Pierce, Florida, native returned to school last season after going through the NBA Draft evaluation process and thanked Kentucky coach John Calipari and his staff for challenging him to become a better all-around player following his freshman season in which he averaged 4.1 boards and 3.8 points.
The Hall of Fame coach praised Montgomery's progress in a release on Wednesday and said: "With his perimeter skills, athleticism and shot-blocking ability, someone is going to get a big-time prospect with EJ."
Montgomery follows pro announcements by fellow forward Nick Richards and guards Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey.
In further draft news, Wake Forest junior Chaundee Brown has said he will enter his name into the NBA Draft as well as the NCAA transfer portal.
Brown announced his plans in a social media post on Wednesday. The 6ft 5in guard from Orlando, Florida, said he plans to maintain his college eligibility even while going through the draft process.
Brown was Wake Forest's third-leading scorer last season at 12.1 points per game and its second-best rebounder at 6.5 boards per game. He missed eight games due to injury, but had 24 points and nine rebounds in a double-overtime win against highly-ranked Duke in late February.
