"I think he is a well-schooled assistant coach who has really paid
his dues.I think he'll be a terrific
head coach. He really reminds
me of [Tennessee coach] Cuonzo
Martin. Montgomery played and
coached at Michigan State like
Martin did at Purdue, and he'll
now get off on his own. I anticipate he'll do very well. He's respected and well-liked on the recruiting trail."
The Mark
Montgomery
File
• 10 NCAA Tournament
appearances in 10
seasons at Michigan
State.
• Five NCAA Sweet
16s.
• Three NCAA Final
Fours.
• Named FoxSports.
com top Big Ten
assistant coach in
2010.
- Reggie Rankin, ESPN Recruiting
Coordinator
"I truly believe this is a great hire for Northern Illinois because Mark has both coached and
played at a high level. He played for Jud Heathcoate at Michigan State and has worked under
Tom Izzo, so he definitely has the knowledge
and experience needed to be an excellent head
coach. His communication skills with players are
extraordinary, which will allow him to recruit,
coach and compete at a high level."
- Jim Jackson, Big Ten Network
• Four-year assistant
at Central Michigan.
MAC Championship
2000-01.
• All-Big Ten Player at
Michigan State, two
time Academic All-Big
Ten.
"Mark is going to be one of the great young coaches in the
country. Mark has an incredible amount of experience and he
has coached and recruited many NBA players. As important
as that, Mark has demonstrated through three trips to the Final Four that he is also a great X's and O's coach. X's and O's,
scouting reports, teaching the game, I don't think I've had a better assistant than Mark and I think Northern Illinois has made a
terrific hire."
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State head coach
