Kentucky's EJ Montgomery Withdraws From NBA Draft to Return to School

The talk of the upcoming NBA Draft has been centered around Zion Williamson. But now, we're here to tell you about a change of heart from one prospect who is officially coming back to school.

Kentucky Wildcats forward EJ Montgomery announced that he will pull out of the 2019 NBA Draft and return to Lexington for his sophomore season.

"Big Blue Nation, I just want to say thanks for all you've done for me and my family," Montgomery said in an official release.

"I enjoyed putting on a Kentucky uniform with my brothers and playing in front of the best fans in the nation. I appreciate your support for me and my teammates this season. I want to say thanks for Coach Cal, Coach KP, Coach Joel, Coach Robic and Coach Barbee for pushing me every single day to be the best I can be on and off the court. I got to compete against the best of the best every day in practice. We had a good season on the court because of our love for the grind. I'm proud of what we accomplished together. BBN, I'm back. Year two."

Once he entered the draft process, Montgomery received an invite to the Draft Combine and worked out for the San Antonio Spurs last week. However, the young power forward was not projected to be selected on draft night, and made the right call in returning to Big Blue Nation.

While playing in all 37 games with the Wildcats in his freshman year, Montgomery averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 15.1 minutes.

Now that he's headed back to school, Montgomery has the opportunity to increase his stock for the 2020 NBA Draft, as well as add a potential national championship to his resume under John Calipari's leadership.