Freshman EJ Montgomery knows he could play a pivotal role for Kentucky against Houston Friday night in the Midwest Region semifinal — and that’s fine with him.
“I still think we can go far as a team. We just have to compete and go hard and I certainly have to do that,” Montgomery said. “We just have to finish games out and stay out of foul trouble. I’ve had to learn the hard way.”
Kentucky couldn’t finish against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals and lost. It did finish against Wofford in round two of the NCAA to advance.
“We work every day to help me get better with a lot of things. I am growing and getting better. The toughest thing has been just learning the college game and trying to be more physical, but I just have to do that now,” he said.
Senior Reid Travis and sophomore PJ Washington have pushed him daily since he arrived on campus.
“Their work ethic is crazy. We all are in the gym together. They know the game. Just pick up little things from them every day and have all year. I never stop learning from them,” Montgomery said.