Prospect Spotlight: Jordan Montgomery (2020)
The Rancho Christian boys basketball team begins CIF Southern Section Open Division play tonight against the star-studded Sierra Canyon side.
Two of the biggest reasons why the Eagles find themselves among the top eight teams in Southern California are the Mobley brothers, 6-foot-9 junior Isaiah and 6-foot-10 sophomore Evan.
But while much of the attention is paid to, and rightfully so, to those two talented players, sophomore point guard Jordan Montgomery is quietly turning in a solid season filled with growth and maturity in his game.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore is putting 8.9 points and 4.2 assists this season while turning the ball over just 1.5 times on average.
Montgomery told Prep Hoops So-Cal that Rancho Christian has achieved success this season because of the trust developed between teammates.
“We’ve been moving the ball and sharing the ball a lot,” he said. “Isaiah and Evan are our foundation and not a lot of high school teams have two bigs so that’s tough to guard. Our guard play has been good and we’re taking shots when they’re there and being aggressive. That combination is tough to stop.”
Rancho Christian point guard Jordan Montgomery has shown a lot of growth and maturity in his game.The improved guard-play for the Eagles is a direct result of Montgomery and his teammate Isaiah Knox become bigger threats from 3-point range.
“I shoot every day before and after practice with Isaiah (Knox),” Montgomery said. “We get shots up and hour before and an hour after. A lot of teams are playing a zone against us because they have to, so with that, we need to be working on our jump shots.”
Another aspect of Montgomery’s game that’s coming along nicely is his ability to make reads out of the pick and roll situation.
“I’m liking the pick and roll situation,” he said. “We didn’t run it much last year and that’s partially because I needed to learn how to run it properly. I learned the different options off of the reads by watching film of point guards like Trae Young.
“They use the pick and roll to get their shot and get other people shots,” he added. “Not just the roller, either, you have to get shots for the guys on the weak-side and that’s big for us.”
Montgomery isn’t asked to score much because of the presence of the Mobley’s, but that’s the next step he wants to see in his game.
“I have a really good foundation of passing and getting other people involved,” he said. “but I need to work on my offensive moves. I need to be able to score in isolation when I need to.”
Montgomery is setting himself up nicely for the college level both on and off the court with his 3.8 grade point average and he has a head start as far as visibility with college coaches goes.
“A lot of coaches come to our gym recruiting,” he said. “It’s really nice. A lot of people say there’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t think it’s pressure. I’m looking forward to the future and just have to keep working.”