Renee Montgomery's accomplishments on the basketball court -- and her contributions to the community away from it -- make her this year's choice for Gazette Sportsperson of the Year
Renee Montgomery's basketball skills have taken her all over the world, but there's only one place she calls home.
Renee Montgomery's basketball skills have taken her all over the world, but there's only one place she calls home.
"I'm proud to be from West Virginia,'' said Montgomery, a St. Albans native who starred at Capital and South Charleston High Schools. "I love home.''
Montgomery represented the Mountain State well in 2009.
She led Connecticut to an undefeated season capped with an NCAA women's college basketball national championship in April.
Montgomery was the fourth overall pick in the WNBA Draft a few days later and concluded her first season in women's professional basketball by earning all-rookie team honors. She then was selected in October to travel with the USA national team, which competed in and won an international tournament in Russia.
Those are but a few of the reasons Montgomery was named the 10th winner of the Gazette's Sportsperson of the Year, which goes annually to the home-grown West Virginia product who made a positive impact on the national sports scene and who embodies the word "sportsman.''
Montgomery is only the second female to win the award since its inception in 2000. Alexis Hornbuckle, Montgomery's teammate in high school, was the first female recipient of the award last year after winning a WNBA title and a college national title at Tennessee in the same calendar year.
"It means a lot,'' said Montgomery upon learning she won the Gazette award recently during a phone interview from Lithuania where she is playing professionally during the WNBA's winter offseason. "Any awards that also represent me being from home, I just love it.
"Everything post-high school has been away from West Virginia. Any time I go home it's just a different type feeling than anywhere else. When you've been all around the world, it gives it a whole new meaning. I love to travel, but there's no place like home. There's still no place like West Virginia.''
Montgomery is most proud of her work as a national spokesperson and "GUARDian of Dreams'' for the New York-based Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization that provides new pajamas and books to children in need in the United States and around the world.
She will be featured in an upcoming children's story as both the narrator and feature character. The story will reflect the philosophy and mission of the Pajama Program.
"I love kids and this couldn't have been a better fit,'' Montgomery said. "Just for them to have a new pair of pajamas and a book to read is comforting. In Minnesota, I went to read stories [to children], I've donated and helped them raise money. I try to do anything I can to help them.''
Montgomery also returned to the Kanawha Valley this past summer to put on her first youth basketball camp. She said she plans to make the camp a yearly event.
"It's just an exciting journey I'm on,'' she said. "Things just keep happening. Basketball can take me places, which allows me to help others. It's nice that I can be influential to young kids.''
Montgomery helped guide Connecticut to a 39-0 record during the 2008-09 season, only the fifth undefeated team in NCAA women's college basketball history and the first in either men's or women's history to win every game by double digits.
She scored 18 points and handed out four assists as the Huskies beat Louisville 76-54 in the national title game April 7 in St. Louis, Mo. Montgomery averaged 20.5 points during the six-game NCAA tournament run and earned a selection to the Final Four all-tournament team.
Montgomery was named Associated Press first team All-America, the first Kanawha Valley athlete to receive the honor in basketball since West Virginia University's Jerry West in 1960. She averaged 16.5 points during the season, leading the Huskies in assists (199) and was second in steals (61).
She also received the Honda Sports Award, which recognizes the nation's top college women's basketball player, the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the country's top college point guard, and the Big East Sportsmanship Award.
Montgomery won three straight Class AAA state championships - one at Capital and two at SC - as Hornbuckle's sidekick.
Renee Montgomery's basketball skills have taken her all over the world, but there's only one place she calls home.
"I'm proud to be from West Virginia,'' said Montgomery, a St. Albans native who starred at Capital and South Charleston High Schools. "I love home.''
Montgomery represented the Mountain State well in 2009.
She led Connecticut to an undefeated season capped with an NCAA women's college basketball national championship in April.
Montgomery was the fourth overall pick in the WNBA Draft a few days later and concluded her first season in women's professional basketball by earning all-rookie team honors. She then was selected in October to travel with the USA national team, which competed in and won an international tournament in Russia.
Those are but a few of the reasons Montgomery was named the 10th winner of the Gazette's Sportsperson of the Year, which goes annually to the home-grown West Virginia product who made a positive impact on the national sports scene and who embodies the word "sportsman.''
Montgomery is only the second female to win the award since its inception in 2000. Alexis Hornbuckle, Montgomery's teammate in high school, was the first female recipient of the award last year after winning a WNBA title and a college national title at Tennessee in the same calendar year.
"It means a lot,'' said Montgomery upon learning she won the Gazette award recently during a phone interview from Lithuania where she is playing professionally during the WNBA's winter offseason. "Any awards that also represent me being from home, I just love it.
"Everything post-high school has been away from West Virginia. Any time I go home it's just a different type feeling than anywhere else. When you've been all around the world, it gives it a whole new meaning. I love to travel, but there's no place like home. There's still no place like West Virginia.''
Montgomery is most proud of her work as a national spokesperson and "GUARDian of Dreams'' for the New York-based Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization that provides new pajamas and books to children in need in the United States and around the world.
She will be featured in an upcoming children's story as both the narrator and feature character. The story will reflect the philosophy and mission of the Pajama Program.
"I love kids and this couldn't have been a better fit,'' Montgomery said. "Just for them to have a new pair of pajamas and a book to read is comforting. In Minnesota, I went to read stories [to children], I've donated and helped them raise money. I try to do anything I can to help them.''
Montgomery also returned to the Kanawha Valley this past summer to put on her first youth basketball camp. She said she plans to make the camp a yearly event.
"It's just an exciting journey I'm on,'' she said. "Things just keep happening. Basketball can take me places, which allows me to help others. It's nice that I can be influential to young kids.''
Montgomery helped guide Connecticut to a 39-0 record during the 2008-09 season, only the fifth undefeated team in NCAA women's college basketball history and the first in either men's or women's history to win every game by double digits.
She scored 18 points and handed out four assists as the Huskies beat Louisville 76-54 in the national title game April 7 in St. Louis, Mo. Montgomery averaged 20.5 points during the six-game NCAA tournament run and earned a selection to the Final Four all-tournament team.
Montgomery was named Associated Press first team All-America, the first Kanawha Valley athlete to receive the honor in basketball since West Virginia University's Jerry West in 1960. She averaged 16.5 points during the season, leading the Huskies in assists (199) and was second in steals (61).
She also received the Honda Sports Award, which recognizes the nation's top college women's basketball player, the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the country's top college point guard, and the Big East Sportsmanship Award.
Montgomery won three straight Class AAA state championships - one at Capital and two at SC - as Hornbuckle's sidekick.
She led SC back to the state title game her senior year after Hornbuckle's graduation, but the Black Eagles lost to Morgantown. Montgomery earned state player of the year and McDonald's All-America honors after her senior year in 2005.
Montgomery blossomed at Connecticut, stepping into a starting role at point guard as a freshman and quickly developing into one of the top women's players in the country. She was a three-year team captain for the Huskies beginning in her sophomore season.
She finished her four-year career at UConn first in games played (150), sixth in career points (1,990), third in assists (632) and fifth in steals (266). Montgomery started a school-record 140 straight games and helped lead UConn to a 139-11 record. She is the only Huskies player to earn a spot in the "Huskies of Honor'' while still playing.
"I don't think many people would have expected me to do well in college,'' said Montgomery. "I don't think I did.
"When you get to that level everybody has a certain level of talent. I just knew to separate yourself you have to work hard. I think hard work is overlooked. You definitely have to have talent. I just knew I had to have something other than talent.''
Montgomery didn't have much time to enjoy the perfect season and national title at UConn at the end of the 2008-09 season. On April 9, just two days removed from her college career, she was the top pick of the Minnesota Lynx, and the fourth pick overall, in the WNBA Draft.
She averaged 9.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists splitting time as a starter and reserve. The Lynx finished with a 14-20 record, one game out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
"I would have loved for us to win more games,'' said Montgomery. "It's hard to not make the playoffs. Overall, I'm happy with how everything worked out. I started a good amount of games.
"Going into the situation they told me there was no chance I was going to start. I'm always looking for a bigger role because I like it when I have a lot of responsibility on me and my team depends on me. I think I thrive in situations like that.''
Shortly after the WNBA season ended, Montgomery was one of 13 players selected to travel to Russia with the USA women's national squad.
The U.S. won the four-team Ekaterinburg International Invitational, a tune-up for next autumn's world championships. It is expected that the 12-member 2010 USA World Championship and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams will be comprised of players from the 2009-12 national team.
After her stint with the U.S. team, Montgomery signed in October with TEO Vilnius of Lithuania to play professionally in Europe. She is leading the team in points (17.6), assists (3.9) and steals (1.8).
"It's nice here,'' Montgomery said. "I'm in a really good situation where my team treats me really well. I have a nice apartment and they gave me a car just to have while I'm here.
"This is the area that I felt the most comfortable and that would pay on time. There's a lot of situations where women aren't paid on time.''
Montgomery also finds time to put her communications degree to work. She has her own Web site (www.reneemontgomery20.com) and has written blogs for lynxbasketball.com and WNBA.com.
"When I think back on it, 'Wow, did I really do that?,''' she said. "When you're doing it, it's surreal. I'm so blessed, everything that's happened. You dream about certain things.
"I don't think I could have dreamed it any better. It's all an adventure for me right now. I've just got to keep working hard and not be satisfied. I hope this is just the beginning.''
Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at tatkin...@wvgazette.com 304-348-4811.
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