*Crafted by Scott Burnstein*
On the heels of a great senior season that ended at the Breslin Center in East Lansing in the MHSAA D2 state basketball finals, Grand Rapids Christian’s Nate Johnson committed to U-D Mercy this week, giving brand new Titans head coach Mark Montgomery, his first in-state recruiting grab.
The silky-smooth, versatile and deadly efficient Johnson pumped in 15 points per outing in the 2024 campaign to go along with 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point distance. GRC fell 53-39 in the D2 state championship game to Warren Lincoln.
Montgomery comes to Calihan Hall to head the UDM program from an assistant gig at Michigan State, after his first head-coaching stint at Northern Illinois. In the 1990s, Montgomery was the point guard on MSU squads that won a Big Ten crown and made a Sweet 16 run in the 1990 NCAA Big Dance. UDM is trying to rebound from a historically-dismal 1-31 season.