Former Central basketball standout Ryan Montgomery on fire for Lee

Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Lee University senior basketball Ryan Montgomery (5), who prepped at Central, has helped lead the Flames to their most successful season since moving to Division II.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Lee University senior basketball Ryan Montgomery (5), who prepped at Central, has helped lead the Flames to their most successful season since moving to Division II.

Ryan Montgomery's transformation into a complete player during his senior season at Lee University has helped the Flames achieve unprecedented recognition.

It also should make Montgomery a leading contender when Gulf South Conference men's basketball coaches vote on their league's player of the year.

The former Central High School star helped propel Lee to a second-place finish in the GSC regular season and into the Division II rankings for the first time in program history. After providing a dominant post presence by shooting 64% on 2-point attempts and averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds as a junior in 2018-19, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound Montgomery has added to his game in major ways.

"Last year I shot a lot of midrange shots and had a lot of success around the basket," Montgomery said. "So I knew most teams this year were going to game plan for that and sag off me. I had to extend my game behind the 3-point line.

"It's taken a lot of gym time and reps. Over the summer I was in the gym almost every day working on my shot and ball handling. By doing that, it made my game a lot better and easier."

Montgomery's improved touch has been quite noticeable for the Flames (21-6) who went 16-4 in conference play to earn the GSC tournament's No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 seed Auburn-Montgomery (15-13) in a quarterfinal at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Quarterfinal winners advance to Saturday's semifinals in Birmingham, Alabama, with the title game the next day.

After shooting a combined 15-of-61 from 3-point range as a sophomore and junior and entering his senior season just below 70% on free throws for his Flames career, he has made 45 of 121 (.372) 3-point attempts and 103 of 127 (.811) free throws in 24 games as a senior.

Montgomery finished the regular season by hitting five 3-pointers in an 18-point performance in Saturday's loss at Alabama-Huntsville. His 18.1 points per game rank second in the conference to Union's Tyree Boykin (19.9).

The Cleveland program coached by Bubba Smith already has its most single-season wins since joining Division II, as well as its most wins since going 30-4 and reaching the NAIA national championship game for 2012-13, its final season at that level.

Lee also beat GSC No. 1 seed Valdosta State (24-3) in their only meeting so far this season. To get another shot at the Blazers, who are ranked ninth in both D-II national polls listed on the NCAA's website, the Flames would have to win Tuesday and beat either third-seeded Alabama-Huntsville or sixth-seeded West Florida in the semifinals.

Valdosta State hosts No. 8 seed Montevallo on Tuesday, with the winner of that matchup reaching a semifinal against No. 4 West Alabama or No. 5 Union.

"We want to win the conference championship and make a run to the national championship," said Montgomery, who has 1,290 career points and is a 52% shooter from the field in his time with the Flames. "Everyone here wants us to succeed. The support here is special. I love my team from top to bottom, and all the hard work has been worth it."

Montgomery's athleticism and strength have shown throughout his Lee career, with his windmill dunks one showcase of those abilities, but his progress outside the arc and at the foul line have made him even tougher for opponents to stop. He also leads the Flames with 5.9 rebounds per game this season, when he has averaged 1.4 steals and 0.8 block.

"Last year I didn't get any individual accolades, and I felt like that was a slap in the face because I shot 60% from the field and was top 15 in scoring and rebounding," Montgomery said. "This year I wanted to put a stamp on it and prove I am the best player in the league.

"Winning a conference championship is my focus, but winning the player of the year would mean a lot to me, too, because it would show the work I have put in. To get where I am has taken a lot of film work with my coaches and so much work behind closed doors."

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

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