Transfer DeShayne Montgomery is set to make his Georgia debut when the Bulldogs host Buffalo on Thursday night (7 p.m.) at Stegeman Coliseum.
The former Mount St. Mary’s player received the official word on Monday.
"He plays so hard, man. His skill, along with his athleticism, I don't think I've seen anything like it," RJ Godfrey said. "Some players will just jab, but he'll drive the middle, dunk on some people, and then pound his chest. It's some crazy stuff. I'm very excited for the fans to see who DeShayne Montgomery is."
Montgomery's addition is a big deal for a Bulldog team (9-1) already off to its best start since the 2001-2002 season. Last year, Montgomery averaged 13.2 points, shot 53 percent from the field, and had 54 steals during a season that saw him win the MAAC Rookie of the Year Award.
"I'm probably going to have to slow him down a little bit when he gets to the game," head coach Mike White said. "'I'm excited. Our whole staff's excited. His teammates, again, are excited to see, you know, what it's going to look like for him. Wearing the G, he's going to play hard as heck. He's going to play with joy.
"That's how he approaches every day. He's fun to coach. He's going to be a good addition to our team. He's a little bit different than our other backcourt guys."
White expects Montgomery to be disruptive on both ends of the court.
"He brings intensity and competitiveness; he's a disruptive defender. He puts pressure on the rim offensively. He's versatile offensively," White said. "He's got great length, you know, so he can play as he's a two, as he's a three, as he's a one. He's kind of all of them, you know. He's very versatile. Like, he's got some tire in him with his ability to get to the rim and finish at the rim."
Montgomery was forced to miss the first nine games due to an academic issue. Those issues are now history, and Montgomery figures to slide right into the rotation for the Bulldogs, starting with Thursday night’s game.
“Coming into college basketball, I always had goals, like making the NBA,” Montgomery said in an interview earlier this year. “I feel like it’s possible with work, coming in every day, working. I feel like with the work I’m putting in right now I can make another jump.”
Montgomery and Mount St. Mary’s played at Georgia on Dec. 20 in Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs won 94-82, but Montgomery made an impression, scoring 23 points against his future teammates.
Montgomery scored 22 points in a game at Ole Miss two weeks earlier.
New teammates Dakota Leffew and Asa Newell can’t wait to see him on the court.
“Oh, yeah, he's going to bring a lot of energy for sure,” Leffew said. “You know, he's the energy guy of our team. He brings it every day in practice, so I'm excited to have him back.”
Newell agreed.
“Man, Shane brings a lot of energy in practice, it doesn't matter if he's, you know, sitting out on these games, or whatever,” Newell said. “He's really hungry and you all are going to see the Shane Show.”