devin montgomery signs at Pepperdine

socalogo.gif (8739 bytes)
SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Well-Traveled Devin Montgomery Signs
With Pepperdine--(Apr. 25, 2001)

Call him the transfer king. . .the much-traveled Devin Montgomery (5'-11" So. JUCO PG) will now settle in next season at Pepperdine, and we're glad that someone on the west coast finally recognized what a lot of people have known for a long time. Devin is a lightning quick, tough point guard who can run an offense, and this past season he was named to the All-Southern California Community College First Team after averaging 21.4 points, 4.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals for Moorpark JC.

Devin started off his high school career at San Fernando, transferred to Ribet, transferred back to San Fernando, transferred to Alemany, signed at Duquesne, tranferred out, enrolled at Moorpark, and will now transfer to Pepperdine as a junior. That's a lot of transferring, but it's also given him tremendous and diverse on-court experience, and he's a solid pickup for the Waves. Montgomery, along with three other San Fernando players received some degree of notoriety among high school players during the 1998-99 season when San Fernando coach Daryl McDonald got the Alemany job and Devin and his Tiger teammates transferred to finish out their senior seasons. He also played for the LA Rockfish, and during his senior season was largely under-recruited by west coast schools despite being considered one of the most talented seniors in the class of 1999. His Rockfish connections and tough on-court play led him to sign with Duquesne where he played as a college freshman, but he ultimately transferred out, returning to California before the end of his freshman academic year. He eventually wound up at Moorpark where this past season he led Moorpark to the State JUCO playoffs. In a multi-guard offense (Michah McKinney, Brandon Armstrong if he returns, Michael Hall, Elan Buller, Craig Lewis, and Mike Westphal), Montgomery will bring perhaps the most depth to the point guard position and should challenge for a starting spot immediately.

Here's the official press release from Pepperdine:

Point guard Devin Montgomery from nearby Moorpark Community College has signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Pepperdine next season.

A 1999 graduate of Alemany High in Mission Hills, Montgomery played at Duquesne during the 1999-2000 campaign before transferring to Moorpark Community College last season. Montgomery will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

A first team All-Southern California selection, Montgomery averaged 21.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.9 steals a game last season and helped Moorpark Community College advance to the semifinal round of the California State Playoffs. The team completed the season with a record of 26-6 and was ranked No. 5 in the final state poll. Montgomery was named to the All-Tournament team at the California State Playoffs.

Montgomery shot 49.3 percent from the field, including a 38.2 percent mark from three-point range, and 75.4 percent from the free throw line. Montgomery led the Raiders with 79 three-point field goals.

“Our staff is pleased that Devin has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Pepperdine,” said Waves’ head coach Paul Westphal. “Devin is an experienced player who put up impressive numbers last season while helping Moorpark Community College advance to the Final Four at the California State Playoffs.”

Montgomery was tabbed to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Freshmen team after averaging 7.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists a ballgame during the 1999-2000 season. He shot 36.3 percent from the field, including 27.5 percent from three-point range, and 75.6 percent from the free throw line. Montgomery played in all 29 games for the Dukes, including 16 as a starter, and averaged 27 minutes a contest.

A basketball and football standout at Alemany High, Montgomery earned All-California Division III honors from Cal-Hi Sports after averaging 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists a game as a senior. Montgomery was named to the All-San Fernando Valley team by the Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Times.

As a wide receiver at Alemany, Montgomery caught 45 passes for 796 yards and eight touchdowns helping the Indians advance to the CIF Southern Section Division III semifinals.

Montgomery played at Los Angeles Ribet Academy as a sophomore before playing at San Fernando High during his junior year. After averaging 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game as a junior, Montgomery was ranked among the Top 10 point guards on the West Coast by West Coast Hoops.

Assuming that Brandon Armstrong elects to return for his senior season in Malibu, the signing of Montgomery leaves Pepperdine with one remaining scholarship for the upcoming 2001-02 season.

Armstrong, who declared for the NBA Draft earlier this month, has until mid-June to withdraw his name from consideration. Armstrong has indicated a desire to return to Pepperdine if he is not drafted in the first round.