'Rocking Kentucky blue.' Five-star forward EJ Montgomery commits to Kentucky

Five-star forward E.J. Montgomery gave his verbal commitment Monday to the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team.

Montgomery picked the Wildcats over Duke, North Carolina and a slew of teams that were interested in the services of the 6-foot-11 prospect from Marietta, Ga.

24/7 Sports announced the news Monday morning and Montgomery confirmed it with an Instagram post declaring he is “rocking Kentucky blue.”

“Just the coaches and their track record with their players,” he told 247 Sports when pressed about picking the Wildcats. “I can go get developed and be the best that I can be.”

Montgomery joins a recruiting class that features five-star recruits Immanuel Quickley and Keldon Johnson, along with Tyler Herro. He was one of three uncommitted players at this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game.

Quickley and Herro each commented on Twitter about Montgomery’s commitment. “It just got scary,” said Herro. Quickley posted a screenshot of Montgomery’s Instagram post.

The recruiting class ranks No. 2 in the 247Sports Recruiting Class Rankings.

After decommitting from Auburn in the fall, Montgomery was relatively quiet about his recruiting until he took unofficial visits to Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina in recent weeks. He is rated No. 6 overall in the 247 Sports rankings.

He told 247 Sports that Kentucky’s success with NBA players was a big reason for his commitment.

“It’s a big factor because my parents just wanted me to go to a school that I can get develop the most,” Montgomery told 247Sports. “Their track record with their players in the NBA shows that they’re pretty good at it.”

He’s the first post player in the class of 2018 to commit to the Wildcats.

Quickley has been heavily recruiting Montgomery to join the recruiting class.

“When he passes me the ball and gives me an assist, he just says, ‘We can have a lot of that at Kentucky,’” Montgomery told the Herald-Leader last month.

Coaches told Montgomery that they see him as a versatile ‘4’ guy who can shoot the 15-foot jumper, the big man told the Herald-Leader.

Kevin Knox is the only Wildcat from the 2017-18 team who has revealed he is leaving UK for the NBA. Knox announced his departure Friday and hired an agent.

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