Ten Greatest VMI Basketball Players: Number 9

Let me be the first to say, I hated leaving D.J. Covington off this list. There is little doubt he is the best big man, statistically, in the program's history. This year he slithered past Dave Montgomery to take hold of VMI's all-time highest career field goal percentage (.582). With 106 blocks in his senior year, D.J. blew away the record books and became the all-time leading shot blocker by a differential of 70. But as I said before I started this list, I am factoring in not only stats but overall contributions to VMI basketball. This also includes the success of the team as a player.

And for that reason you will find none other than Dave Montgomery at #9 on the list.

Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Years at VMI: 1974-78
Position: Center
-VMI Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
-1977 SoCon Tournament MVP
-All-time VMI leader in rebounds
-2nd all-time in FG percentage


Depending on your point of view, Dave Montgomery is either the first or second best big-man the Institute has ever seen. During his career from 1974 to 1978, there was not a year in which Montgomery did not lead the team in rebounding. In fact, he is on the top ten all-time single-season rebounding list four times. But he also did plenty of work on the offensive side, leading the team three times in shooting percentage, his last year getting beaten out by Ron Carter (who you may or may not also see on this list).

Montgomery peaked in his junior year of 1976-77, hauling down 267 rebounds and shooting an absurd .652 from the field, a VMI record only Matt Murrer and Montgomery himself come close to. He led the Southern Conference in that category multiple times, and was top ten in the nation at the time of a Sports Illustrated article written about the '77 team. That article said Dave came to VMI because "his Baltimore high school was on strike most of his senior year and recruiters forgot about him." At the time he was probably the tallest player the team had ever had.

Montgomery was critical during the tournament runs of 1976 and '77. The first year (in which the Keydets went to the Elite 8), he dropped 12 points on DePaul in the Sweet 16. Will Bynum and Ron Carter both scored over 20 points as well in that game. The following season, after winning the SoCon tournament of which Montgomery was named MVP, Dave hung 17 on Duquesne in the first round of the East Regional. He followed that up by scoring 18 (with help from Carter who had a 28/10) in a losing effort against defending national champion Kentucky.

After it was all said and done, Montgomery would finish as the school's 18th all-time point scoring leader, but more importantly, he revitalized the role of the center in a way VMI had never seen before. He obtained an 82–34 record at the Institute, a key member of the winningest class in school history.