5-Star PF Prospect E.J. Montgomery Commits to Kentucky over Duke, UNC, More

The Kentucky Wildcats landed one of the top power forwards in 2018 after 5-star recruit E.J. Montgomery announced Monday he has committed to the school.    

"I made my decision to go to Kentucky," Montgomery told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. "Just the coaches and their track record with their players. I can go get developed and be the best that I can be."

Montgomery ranks third nationally at his position and is the 12th-best player overall in the 2018 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. 

"It's a big factor [Kentucky's success with NBA players] because my parents just wanted me to go to a school that I can get develop the most," Montgomery said. "Their track record with their players in the NBA shows that they're pretty good at it."

"It was a pretty hard decision," he added. "I had to talk about the pros and cons about every school. I just had that feeling that Kentucky was the place for me."

Montgomery originally committed to the Auburn Tigers in September 2016. His father, E.J. Montgomery Sr., remained vague when explaining his son's decision to decommit.

"He hasn't really gone through the process of being recruited, and he wants to experience that," the elder Montgomery said, per Daniels. "We are just going to open it up and see who comes and kind of go from there."

Montgomery's decommitment may have been the result of an FBI investigation that led to the arrest of 10 people, including Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person and several other coaches from top-tier programs.

According to CNN's Shachar Peled, Person and three other coaches allegedly "facilitated and received bribes from athlete advisers...in exchange for directing and pressuring players and their families to retain the services of these advisers."

Auburn and others could face significant NCAA repercussions following the FBI's investigation, so it's understandable if Montgomery felt he'd be better off elsewhere.

Auburn's loss is Kentucky's gain. In September, Daniels tweeted how Montgomery's skill set would have him in high demand:

While power forwards are increasingly expected to help space the floor with perimeter shooting, Montgomery's range doesn't extend to the three-point line. In 20 games at Adidas Nations over four years, he was 1-of-12 from beyond the arc, according to RealGM.

That's the only major criticism of his game. The 6'10" forward is a strong defender—both under the basket and on the perimeter. And he can help facilitate the offense with his vision and passing. The fact that he can guard multiple positions will be valuable when opposing teams throw out smaller lineups.

Especially if he's willing to stay at Kentucky for a few years before making the jump to the pros, Montgomery has the potential to become a major star in college basketball.

Recruiting info courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.