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The Hawaii men’s basketball team announced John Montgomery as the new assistant coach on Eran Ganot’s staff on Tuesday.
Montgomery, a former director of operations and assistant coach at California, is the son of legendary coach Mike Montgomery. John Montgomery spent a total of six years at Cal and most recently was director of basketball operations at San Francisco for a season.
“I am thrilled and excited for the opportunity to join Coach Ganot and the Rainbow Warrior coaching staff,” Montgomery said in a UH release. “Hawaii holds a special place in my heart as I visited the islands frequently when I was younger. While playing at Loyola Marymount, I had the opportunity to play against Coach Ganot’s Saint Mary’s teams (when Ganot was on Randy Bennett’s staff) and I’ve always been impressed with him and believe in the program he’s running. I look forward to working with the players and staff toward the goal of winning a Big West title.”
Montgomery also was a full assistant at Furman (S.C.) for the 2007-08 year.
Ganot, a first-year head coach, completed his staff by the end of May but had an assistant position open up when Norm Parrish took a small college head coaching job in Utah. Parrish was at UH for about three months. The university posted the opening for the position in late August.
Montgomery, of Menlo Park, Calif., was a four-year letterwinner at Loyola Marymount. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2007.
“We’re excited to welcome John to our men’s basketball ohana,” Ganot said in the release. “He is someone I have gotten to know well over the years during my time at Saint Mary’s as he has been nearby at Cal and at USF. He has a proven track record of success in terms of helping his teams reach great heights and in terms of recruiting, with a focus in the West and internationally, two target areas for us. I’m fired up to go to work every day with this staff. This is a highly motivated and eager group that is committed to this program.”
Full practices for the 2015-16 season begin on Friday.
