Kentucky Basketball announces addition of EJ Montgomery to 2018 recruiting class

EJ Montgomery has officially joined the Kentucky Wildcats after signing a national letter of intent with the university, the school announced Monday.

Montgomery, who committed to UK in April, joins Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley in the class of 2018 and suit up in the 2018-19 season.

“I hope our fans understand just how good EJ is and how excited we are to have him,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “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.”

A 6-foot-11 big man out of Marietta (GA), Montgomery averaged 25.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for Wheeler High School 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. “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.”

Montgomery is ranked as high as No. 6 in the 247Sports rankings. He’s also listed as the No. 1 power forward in the class of 2018 by 247 Sports. Rivals ranks him No. 10 overall and ESPN lists him at No. 14.

With Montgomery’s addition, Kentucky has signed 48 top-50 recruits, 41 top-25 players and 23 top-10 players (according to Rivals) in Calipari’s 10 recruiting classes at Kentucky.