University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: De’Shayne Montgomery
February 06, 2025 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
De'Shayne Montgomery walks out of the Georgia men's basketball locker room with a thick, soft fleece blanket draped around his shoulders. There's snow on the ground outside on this day and the 6-foot-5 guard from Broward County, Fla., isn't built for the cold, but the blanket isn't just a snow-day comfort.
"I take it everywhere," the sophomore said.
It got a lot colder at Montgomery's last school, Mount Saint Mary's, in Maryland, where he played his freshman season. Montgomery was the MAAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals a game.
After sitting out the first 10 games, Montgomery made his Bulldog debut against Buffalo on Dec. 19 and had 16 points and three steals in 20 minutes off the bench. In the next game, against Charleston Southern, he had 22 points in 22 minutes. Through his first 13 games, Montgomery has averaged 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.2 minutes a game.
During a recent Quick Chat, Montgomery talked about his first dunk, his funniest teammate, his favorite player, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Did you play a lot of different sports when you were young or was basketball always your main thing?
Montgomery: I played a lot of soccer; that was my main sport growing up. I also played flag football and one season of rec basketball, but I didn't take any other sport seriously except for soccer. Later, down the line, my freshman year of high school, that's when I switched over to basketball because my best friend to this day was playing.
Frierson: Do you think you could have played soccer in college?
Montgomery: Oh, yeah, for sure. I was real good at soccer; that was all I knew growing up. I put all my time and work into soccer for a while.
Frierson: Who is your favorite basketball player?
Montgomery: Kevin Durant, for sure. He's just one of one, for real. And I think I'm one of one. He's like a 7-foot point guard and you can't really do much to stop him.
Frierson: Is there one part of his game you wish you could borrow for the next 20 years?
Montgomery: Probably his shooting ability. I like how well he shoots the ball from 3 and from mid-range.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Montgomery: Freshman year (of high school), I couldn't dunk. I could barely touch the net — for real. Then, working on my bounce (leaping ability), that 10th-grade summer, going into 11th grade, that's when I got my first dunk. It wasn't in a game, I was just there with my friends, but I got my first dunk.
I worked even harder after that, and then that season, I was dunking easily.
Frierson: As someone that never came close to dunking, how good does it feel?
Montgomery: It feels really good, especially when you're in high school and you know everybody gets shocked when somebody dunks. It feels really good.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Montgomery: Tacos. That's my favorite food of all time. My mom makes it, my dad makes it — I love it.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Are you any good?
Montgomery: Nah, I'm no type of good. It's rare for me to cook, but when I cook, it's good food.
Frierson: If you were inviting a teammate or two over, is there something you could confidently make for them?
Montgomery: I think I would revert to the tacos. All I got to do is make the beef and get the hard shells ready.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Montgomery: I'm a pretty good drawer. If I put my time into it, I feel like I could make a masterpiece. I don't draw stick figures or anything like that, I can draw for real. I took some classes when I was young and I used to watch people do graffiti. I like that type of art, the graffiti art. I love that type of art.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Montgomery: I would have to say Tyrin (Lawrence), even though sometimes you can barely hear him because of how low he talks. But when you hear him, he's funny.
It's like out of nowhere. Sometimes, he'll be saying stuff and he doesn't want to be funny, but people just laugh because of how he says it.
Frierson: You and Dakota Leffew transferred in from Mount St. Mary's this year; how much has it helped having a familiar face around at a new school?
Montgomery: I mean, he's my brother and we came over here together. At first, it wasn't the plan to go somewhere together, but after I committed to Georgia, I saw his top four or five schools and I saw that Georgia was on it, I went to him and was like, We can play together again if you come to Georgia.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
De'Shayne Montgomery walks out of the Georgia men's basketball locker room with a thick, soft fleece blanket draped around his shoulders. There's snow on the ground outside on this day and the 6-foot-5 guard from Broward County, Fla., isn't built for the cold, but the blanket isn't just a snow-day comfort.
"I take it everywhere," the sophomore said.
It got a lot colder at Montgomery's last school, Mount Saint Mary's, in Maryland, where he played his freshman season. Montgomery was the MAAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals a game.
After sitting out the first 10 games, Montgomery made his Bulldog debut against Buffalo on Dec. 19 and had 16 points and three steals in 20 minutes off the bench. In the next game, against Charleston Southern, he had 22 points in 22 minutes. Through his first 13 games, Montgomery has averaged 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.2 minutes a game.
During a recent Quick Chat, Montgomery talked about his first dunk, his funniest teammate, his favorite player, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Did you play a lot of different sports when you were young or was basketball always your main thing?
Montgomery: I played a lot of soccer; that was my main sport growing up. I also played flag football and one season of rec basketball, but I didn't take any other sport seriously except for soccer. Later, down the line, my freshman year of high school, that's when I switched over to basketball because my best friend to this day was playing.
Frierson: Do you think you could have played soccer in college?
Montgomery: Oh, yeah, for sure. I was real good at soccer; that was all I knew growing up. I put all my time and work into soccer for a while.
Frierson: Who is your favorite basketball player?
Montgomery: Kevin Durant, for sure. He's just one of one, for real. And I think I'm one of one. He's like a 7-foot point guard and you can't really do much to stop him.
Frierson: Is there one part of his game you wish you could borrow for the next 20 years?
Montgomery: Probably his shooting ability. I like how well he shoots the ball from 3 and from mid-range.
Frierson: Do you remember your first dunk?
Montgomery: Freshman year (of high school), I couldn't dunk. I could barely touch the net — for real. Then, working on my bounce (leaping ability), that 10th-grade summer, going into 11th grade, that's when I got my first dunk. It wasn't in a game, I was just there with my friends, but I got my first dunk.
I worked even harder after that, and then that season, I was dunking easily.
Frierson: As someone that never came close to dunking, how good does it feel?
Montgomery: It feels really good, especially when you're in high school and you know everybody gets shocked when somebody dunks. It feels really good.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Montgomery: Tacos. That's my favorite food of all time. My mom makes it, my dad makes it — I love it.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Are you any good?
Montgomery: Nah, I'm no type of good. It's rare for me to cook, but when I cook, it's good food.
Frierson: If you were inviting a teammate or two over, is there something you could confidently make for them?
Montgomery: I think I would revert to the tacos. All I got to do is make the beef and get the hard shells ready.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Montgomery: I'm a pretty good drawer. If I put my time into it, I feel like I could make a masterpiece. I don't draw stick figures or anything like that, I can draw for real. I took some classes when I was young and I used to watch people do graffiti. I like that type of art, the graffiti art. I love that type of art.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Montgomery: I would have to say Tyrin (Lawrence), even though sometimes you can barely hear him because of how low he talks. But when you hear him, he's funny.
It's like out of nowhere. Sometimes, he'll be saying stuff and he doesn't want to be funny, but people just laugh because of how he says it.
Frierson: You and Dakota Leffew transferred in from Mount St. Mary's this year; how much has it helped having a familiar face around at a new school?
Montgomery: I mean, he's my brother and we came over here together. At first, it wasn't the plan to go somewhere together, but after I committed to Georgia, I saw his top four or five schools and I saw that Georgia was on it, I went to him and was like, We can play together again if you come to Georgia.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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