Michigan State University Athletics
Mark Montgomery Named Men's Basketball Assistant Coach
6/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 4, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo has announced that Mark Montgomery, a member of the Central Michigan coaching staff the past four years, will join the Spartan program as an assistant coach. Montgomery fills the void left by the departure of Stan Heath, who was appointed head coach at Kent State University on April 19.
"I think Mark Montgomery was the logical candidate for the job because he did such a great job as an undergraduate student-athlete, he knows our system, he knows our staff and he knows the faculty at the university," said Izzo. "We interviewed several outstanding candidates from the state of Michigan and I believe they all have a great future, but Mark's knowledge of our staff, system and university made him the right fit for the job.
"All great programs like Duke, North Carolina, Indiana and Purdue have hired former players. It's a way to connect the past and present which creates the tradition that all great programs possess. Mark has a great knowledge of the game having worked for a great program at Central Michigan, but perhaps more importantly, he is excited to be back at his alma mater."
Montgomery, 31, was a four-year letterwinner at Michigan State University from 1989-92. A 1992 third-team All-Big Ten selection, Montgomery ended his career as the then-career leader in games played at MSU (126). A four-year starter for the Spartans, he was part of the 1990 Big Ten Championship team, three NCAA Tournament teams and an NIT Final Four. Montgomery ranks fourth on the career assists chart (561) after leading the team in assists as a junior (169) and senior (190). He also ranks third on the MSU career steals list (168).
"This is a great opportunity for me to return to Michigan State University," said Montgomery. "The success they've experienced since I've been gone is unbelievable, especially under Coach Izzo. It's also a great chance to learn from Coach Izzo, who is at the top of his profession. It will be exciting to work with [assistant coaches] Brian Gregory and Mike Garland, who are guys that I respect and know a lot about college basketball.
"The last four years at Central Michigan, I was very involved in all aspects of the game including recruiting, on-the-floor coaching, individual workouts and scouting reports. I've had the opportunity to follow a recruiting class through four years at Central Michigan and watch young men mature. I'm looking forward to being involved in every aspect of Michigan State basketball."
An Inkster, Mich., native, Montgomery joined the Central Michigan coaching staff in 1997-98 when Jay Smith became head coach for the Chippewas and helped direct a turnaround in the CMU program. This past season, CMU posted a 20-8 record and captured the fifth Mid-American Conference regular-season championship in school history and first since 1987. Central's 20-win season was only the second since 1976 and just the third winning season since 1980. By capturing the 2001 conference championship after a 6-23 record, 2-16 in the MAC, in 2000, CMU became the first team in MAC history to go from last place one season to first the next.
During the 1996-97 season, Montgomery was an assistant basketball coach at Southgate Aquinas High School, where he also prepped. He also served as the varsity track and field coach at Carlson High School.
Serving as a co-captain on the 1991-92 Spartan squad, Montgomery helped direct MSU to a 22-8 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 7.0 points and 6.3 assists en route to third-team all-conference honors, while also being named MSU's Best Defensive Player. During his junior campaign in 1990-91, MSU posted a 19-11 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as Montgomery averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 assists while starting 29 games. In 1989-90, he averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 assists, starting 13 of 34 games for the 1990 Big Ten Champion Spartan squad. MSU would post a 28-6 record and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. As a freshman in 1988-89, Montgomery started 19 games and averaged 3.7 points and 3.2 assists on a team that went 18-15 and advanced to the NIT Final Four.
Following his playing days at Michigan State, Montgomery played four years of professional basketball in Europe. He averaged more than 25 points a game during his career in Germany, Lithuania and Sweden.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Montgomery earned a bachelor's degree in food system economic management from Michigan State in 1992.
