Basketball transfer De’Shayne Montgomery is academically ineligible for the first nine regular games of the season, UGASports has confirmed.

The newcomer from Mount St. Mary’s did not have enough transferrable credits to be eligible to play for the Bulldogs this semester. He is expected to be eligible and officially begin his Georgia career when the Bulldogs play Grand Canyon at State Farm Arena on Dec. 14.

“Since he arrived on campus, De’Shayne has worked hard, been a model teammate and student, and done everything we have asked him to do,” head coach Mike White said in a statement to UGASports. “I fully expect him to continue making positive contributions to our program until he is eligible to play.”

Montgomery spoke to reporters earlier this week.

“Last season, you know, I kind of slacked off a little bit. This year, I'm trying to, every day, coming in with 110 percent effort, attitude, helping every guy,” said Montgomery, who averaged 13.2 points per game and shooting an impressive 53.8 percent to earn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors.

For a team that ranked 12th in the SEC in field goal percentage, Montgomery could help Georgia’s average significantly after choosing the Bulldogs over Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Cal.

“You know, I liked the blueprint. Coach White had it out for me, Coach EP [Erik Pastrana], I liked what I saw,” Montgomery said. “I’m just being myself, bringing what I had to the table to the team, and just trying to make it a winning program.”

He was already no stranger to Athens.

Montgomery and Mount St. Mary’s played at Georgia on Dec. 20 in Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs won the game 94-82, but Montgomery made an impression, scoring 23 points against his future teammates.

Two weeks earlier, Montgomery scored 22 points in a game at Ole Miss.

“I remember the atmosphere being lit. You know, my team was low-key down, but I just kept thinking about the end goal, like trying to win the game and stuff,” Montgomery recalled. “The environment that we had being a non-conference game, I could only imagine conference throughout the whole year, all the support everybody gets.”