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Well, at least we’re not waiting until midnight tonight like we’re all accustomed to.
If you haven’t seen the news, EJ Montgomery, along with Nick Richards, announced their returns to Kentucky and giving fans a little more clarity on who will be on next year’s roster.
Nick was almost certainly coming back and was really never in doubt. EJ, on the other hand, was giving fans some worries, as it seemed he genuinely was wanting to leave for the NBA, but ultimately opted to return for his sophomore season.
With the return of Nick and EJ, that gave UK Twitter some life, as we all love when we get our guys back for a second, or in Nick’s case, a third season.
Here’s the best of the Twitter reactions:
It's on now!!!!
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 29, 2019
EJ MONTGOMERY IS COMING BACK TO KENTUCKY#DreamBIG pic.twitter.com/brxzwd0Dbu
When EJ and his family set out to go through this NBA Draft process, I told EJ he had my full support no matter what he decided. I know this was a tough decision for EJ and his family because of the positive feedback he received throughout this process. https://t.co/SxSGASJ6C2
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 29, 2019
Big news for Big Blue Nation!
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) May 29, 2019
EJ Montgomery is returning to Kentucky for his sophomore season. #BBN pic.twitter.com/9fVKhOdAza
Kentucky will have eight guys across three classes who were top-35 overall recruits coming out of high school: EJ Montgomery (9), Tyrese Maxey (10), Ashton Hagans (12), Kahlil Whitney (12), Nick Richards (18), Immanuel Quickley (22), Keion Brooks (23) and Johnny Juzang (32).
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) May 29, 2019
Honestly can’t wait to see EJ’s improvement with the amount of minutes he will see this year
— Barstool UK (@BarstoolUK) May 29, 2019
Getting EJ back is massive, but UK really still needs one more big, especially with their luck of having a key big men injured a lot recently. PJ/Reid last year. Vanderbilt. Poythress. Willie. Noel. Gotta have 1 more if that strikes again.
— Jason Marcum (@marcum89) May 29, 2019
Tyrese Maxey
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) May 29, 2019
Ashton Hagans
Immanuel Quickley
Johnny Juzang
Dontaie Allen
Keion Brooks
Khalil Whitney
EJ Montgomery
Nate Sestina
Nick Richards
Brad Calipari
Zan Payne
I like my team
EJ BACK #BBN pic.twitter.com/DnBUJM8yYH
— KY Clips (@KY_Clips) May 29, 2019
WO(E)J BOMB https://t.co/M0sFuDQNc3
— Ian Teasley (@ianteasley) May 29, 2019
Early prediction on Kentucky's 19-20 starting five: Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney, EJ Montgomery, Nick Richards. #BBN
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 29, 2019
EJ Montgomery oozing with potential.
— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) May 29, 2019
pic.twitter.com/biMVZpQK9P
Nick Richards has every physical tool imaginable and over the last two years, has shown flashes of what he can be/do but I'm confident there is a dominant college basketball player in there somewhere. Just a matter of putting all the pieces together.
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) May 28, 2019
Nick Richards: “These past two years have been the best of my life. It’s been an incredible experience. I’ve learned a lot, but the job’s not done yet. BBN, are you ready for year three?”
— Vaughts' Views (@vaughtsviews) May 28, 2019
John Calipari high school recruits who made it to their junior year at UK
— Adam Luckett (@AdamLuckettBOS) May 28, 2019
Jon Hood
Willie Cauley-Stein
Alex Poythress
Marcus Lee
Dominique Hawkins
Derek Willis
Nick Richards
Getting Nick Richards back for a 3rd season is big for Kentucky. I realize he’s had ups and downs but I believe a break through is coming for him. Kenny Payne is working hard to help Nick unleash his full potential.
— Big Blue Express (@bigbluexpress) May 28, 2019
EJ Montgomery, like Nick Richards, is a guy that just needs minutes. He did some things really well last season and he knows what he needs to improve on. I believe he can be an offensive rebounding machine for Kentucky. He chased down so many last season because of his awareness.
— Shawn Smith (@gbbcountry) May 29, 2019
Kentucky now has at least 3 frontcourt players in Montgomery, Nick Richards and Nate Sestina plus a slew of interchangeable guards and wings. This could be one of John Calipari's best teams. https://t.co/ucFvYVUBOw
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 29, 2019
Early prediction on Kentucky's 19-20 starting five: Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney, EJ Montgomery, Nick Richards. #BBN
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 29, 2019
The return of EJ Montgomery — joining C Nick Richards— is the biggest recruiting news of the year for @KentuckyMBB https://t.co/sclkLglriS
— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) May 29, 2019
Kentucky won’t be overpowering up front, but should be solid with EJ Montgomery, Nick Richards and Bucknell grad transfer Nate Sestina. Will at the very least have experience up front.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 29, 2019
Highest-ranked Calipari Era recruits to return for a sophomore season: 5. Andrew Harrison, 6. Aaron Harrison, 7. Alex Poythress, 9. EJ Montgomery, 9. Terrence Jones, 10. Dakari Johnson, 12. Ashton Hagans, 12. Isaiah Briscoe, 15. PJ Washington, 15. Wenyen Gabriel. https://t.co/aLtV36XdKj
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) May 29, 2019
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