Basketball: Chaminade’s Montgomery is emerging as a prospect

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My guess is that most knowledgeable fans agree that Hollis Thompson is the odds-on favorite to win the Mission League’s most valuable player honor this coming season. And his status as the man to beat is warranted, considering the 6-foot-8 senior from Loyola is as talented as they come and bound for Georgetown.

Jules Montgomery, on the other hand, is an unknown commodity. However, the 6-foot-9 senior from Chaminade played well during the spring and summer, gaining some much-needed confidence, and though he isn’t considered a threat to the Thompson throne, he could end up being a force in his own right.

‘Honestly, and I don’t just say this because I have been around him for a couple of years, but I think he can play ball at the Division I level,’’ former Coach Bryan Cantwell said of Montgomery, who averaged 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a season ago and had breakout efforts against University and St. Francis.

Optimism is at an all-time high given the fact that Montgomery suited up for the ICAN All-Stars over the past couple of months and earned his share of attention from college scouts despite playing alongside highly touted teammates such as Fremont’s Tony Freeland and La Mirada’s Derrick Williams.

‘We have had Jules with us a couple of times this summer and he’s like a completely different player. He’s stepped his game up,’’ new Chaminade Coach Todd Wolfson said. ‘No knock on Hollis, I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s a great player, I’m just saying watch out for Jules. He’s going to surprise some people.’’

-- Sean Ceglinsky