URI Officially Adds Zek Montgomery
Meet Rhody's newest sharpshooting wing
During the 2022-23 season, the Rhode Island Rams offense was forgettable to say the least. The team shot an abysmal 30.4 percent from deep, putting them 343rd out of 363 total Division I men’s basketball teams.
However, their abysmal perimeter shooting for URI head coach Archie Miller’s team is bound to change this upcoming season if their newest commit has anything to say about it.
That’s because on April 12th, Zek Montgomery, a 6’6”, 210-pound Louisville, Kentucky native who having just wrapped up his sophomore season at Bradley University, committed to the Rams. The team formally announced Montgomery’s signing on Monday, May 15th.
It’s been a fruitful offseason for Rhode Island’s lead assistant coach Kenny Johnson, as Montgomery’s commitment is one of six new pieces for the Rams since a 73-56 loss to La Salle in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament ended URI’s year back in early Marchj. Thanks to Johnson, Rhode Island has also landed Tyson Brown of Florida Southwestern State (JUCO), High Point’s Jaden House, David Green from Lousiana Tech, Quinnipiac’s Luis Kortright, and Always Wright from Northeast Oklahoma A&M (JUCO).
Montgomery’s Road to Rhody
A 2021 graduate of Saint Louis Christian Academy in Missouri, Montgomery was an unranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He averaged 19.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during his senior year with the program and eventually landed with Brian Wardle’s Bradley Braves to fulfill his post-secondary endeavors.
As a freshman, Montgomery averaged 10 minutes per game across 23 contests. While he shot a mere 38.7% (29/75) from the floor in limited minutes, he knocked down perimeter shots, going 13 for 35 from three-point range (37.1%). He played sparingly throughout his first year, with his best game coming in a 68-61 win vs. Loyola-Chicago on February 9th, 2022, when he had 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting while going 3/3 from behind the arc.
Following the 2021-22 season, Bradley lost three key contributors in guards Terry Roberts and Mikey Howell and forward Jayson Kent, thus opening the door for Montgomery to play sizable minutes. He would appear in 29 games for the Braves during the 2022-23 campaign, making 25 starts. On the season, Montgomery averaged 8.1 points on 43.4 percent shooting (85/196) while playing 22.8 minutes a night.
For the second straight year, it was an ability to knock down the outside shot where Montgomery made his mark. He drilled 35 of his 83 three-point attempts this past season- a 42.2% clip putting him amongst the best shooters in the country. He also shot 42.6% (23/54) in conference play, helping Bradley to a 25-10 record overall and Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship.
Following the regular season, the Braves would fall to Drake, 77-51, in the MVC championship game, where Montgomery would register only 7 points on 2 of 4 shooting. However, the team would still appear in the National Invitation Tournament. In an 81-62 loss to Wisconsin on March 14th, Montgomery registered 12 points on a 5/11 shooting. The game was the last of his career at Bradley, as he would enter the transfer portal two weeks later.
But it’s not just offensively where Montgomery makes an impact. This past season, he held opponents to 156 points over 184 possessions as the primary defender- points per possession mark of 0.848, putting him slightly above the D-I average at the 53rd percentile. Moreover, he held opponents to 54/147 shooting on the year, a field goal percentage of 36.7%.
Outlook
Zek Montgomery will be a welcome addition to a Rhode Island team that is in the midst of a roster overhaul. Outside of Brandon Weston- a player returning to the Rams with plenty of upsides- URI had thinning wing depth earlier this offseason. Malik Martin exhausted all of his eligibility, and the uncertainty surrounding Jalen Carey (who has made little to no remarks about his future) in addition to the loss of freshman Louis Hutchinson (who is on his way to Charleston Southern University after he entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason) certainly put the team in a bit of a bind before Montgomery’s arrival.
Now, there is some clarity at the small forward position for URI. Weston’s positional versatility was already a plus for the Rams, and with Montgomery in the mix, Archie Miller can deploy another guard-forward hybrid with tantalizing offensive capabilities. Look for the tandem to impose their will on Atlantic 10 foes this season.
In Montgomery, the Rams add a truly high-quality player with two more years of eligibility. He can comfortably slide into URI’s rotation due to his athleticism, serving as the team’s best three-point threat (at least at this point) while also taking some pressure off players such as Jaden House. Defensively, he forces opponents into tough shots and can take on guards and forwards in man-to-man settings.
For Rhode Island, a team in desperate need of talent following a brutal 2022-23 campaign, Montgomery is the perfect acquisition. His size, shooting prowess, and overall feel for the game should make him an instant impact player on Archie Miller’s team this upcoming season. Rams fans should be breathing a sigh of relief now, as their team has acquired a player resembling what the program needed this past season.
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