Prospect Spotlight: Jordan Montgomery (2020)
One Southern California player poised to have a big summer this AAU season is Jordan Montgomery from Rancho Christian High School in Temecula, CA.
He’s been the Eagles starting point guard and he’s currently playing with the SDA Soldiers on the AAU circuit. It’s shaping up to be not only a big summer but a big upcoming senior season as well. Montgomery will use this time to really sharpen his game as he’ll be faced with the decision on which college he’ll play for.
There are a few Division 1 schools already reaching out to him and there will likely be more based on his performances this summer.
“I’d say UC Irvine has reached out a lot, they’ve been there since my freshman year, always keeping an eye on me. They’re recruiting me heavy,” Montgomery said. “Also Washington State, San Diego State, UCSD, USD, Cal, schools like that.”
Playing at Rancho Christian, Montgomery’s role on the team is different from his role with the SDA Soldiers. This past season, in particular, he had an array of shooters and scorers around him in Isaiah Mobley, Evan Mobley, Dominick Harris, and Luke Turner.
Surrounded by so much talent the past few seasons, it gave him the ability to really develop his skills as a facilitator and show that he can quarterback a team and get guys scoring opportunities.
“It’s like a video game out there with them, it’s like 2k. You got weapons and you got to know how to use them all. My thing is, I’m really good at running plays, I know certain guys need touches,” Montgomery said. “It’s easy though, they make it easy on me, I give credit to all of them, they make their shots, they’re great athletes. It’s really easy for me, my job is just to lead them, talk, and make sure they’re in the right spots and feed them the ball.”
This summer, in particular, Montgomery is looking to make himself more marketable for D1 schools. Being the lead option on the SDA Soldiers, he’s been given the opportunity to show that he can also score the basketball when needed.
Aside from his playmaking, he’s quick in the open court and can get to the rim with ease. He’s able to finish the play with contact or absorb the hit and get himself to the free-throw line. He can also step out and shoot from the three-point line.
“My idea is to get better, train every day. The big thing for me is I got more athletic this year, so I can show that on the defensive side, 94 feet locking up,” Montgomery said. “And showing the coaches that I can score the ball as well. In Rancho’s system, I have to facilitate a lot cause of all the weapons we have. I want to show I can score too and I’m a dynamic scorer on all three levels and still be a point guard and facilitate too.”
When the time does come for Montgomery to choose a college, there’s a few things he’s going to be looking for, both on and off the court.
“Just the fit, who’s there, the feel for the coaching staff, I want to come into the program an make an impact on the team whether that be starting, coming off the bench, whatever that is. I just want to make an impact right away,” Montgomery said. “Also the academic side of the school is really important. I want to go to a school where I would go there even if basketball wasn’t a thing. That’s really important for me.”