With March Madness winding down, college basketball season is coming to a close. The Eagles, whose season has been over for a couple weeks now, have already begun preparing for next year, starting with roster changes. On March 31, ESPN reported that AU sophomore guards Justice Montgomery and Langdon Neal will be departing the program. AU Athletics confirmed Montgomery and Neal are seeking transfers along with freshman guard George Langberg.
The trio of guards were seldom played this season and are seeking playing time elsewhere, likely at a Division II or III level schools, according to AU Athletics.
Montgomery, the second-year point guard, saw the most minutes out of the three individuals this season playing a total of 15 minutes. Neal only played three minutes this season with fellow walk-on Langberg seeing no time on the floor.
“We wish Justice, Langdon and George the best of luck in their future endeavors,” head coach Mike Brennan said. “Both Justice and Langdon have played important roles in building this program over the past two years, while all three helped push us back to the Patriot League Championship last season.”
Montgomery saw his role and playing time significantly reduced this season from the 2013-14 season when he played in 21 games for a total of 145 minutes. During the Eagles championship season, Montgomery came off the bench in a string of games at the beginning of the season and in key conference games. This year, however, he saw playing time in 11 games and averaged only 1.4 minutes per game. Throughout his time at AU, Montgomery was blocked at his position by starting senior point-guard Darius “Pee-Wee” Gardner. Even with the graduation of Gardner, Montgomery looked to be low on the depth chart with redshirts Leon Tolksdorf and Paris Maragkos coming into the rotation along with three highly touted recruits.
Neal, also a point guard, did not see much playing time his freshman year, only coming into one game for one minute.
Langberg, a shooting-guard, was outmatched by sophomore Jalen Rhea, junior Jesse Reed, and senior John Schoof. With the three incoming freshman shooting guards, Langberg faced increasing competition if he chose to stay at AU.
With Montgomery and Neal transferring and the graduation of Gardner, the Eagles will only have one true point-guard on roster, freshman Alex Paquin. However, Brennan’s Princeton offense is anchored in the fact that the system does not need a star point guard but instead five skilled and selfless ball handlers on the court.
