Montgomery head coach Kris Grundy on the sidelines during a matchup with Bridgewater-Raritan at the Cougar Holiday Classic on December 29, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
The last time Montgomery was in a state sectional final, let alone won it, Karl-Anthony Towns was still playing high school ball in Metuchen.
But getting through injuries, a grueling schedule, integrating a Ukrainian with international playing expereince, and winning its first state sectional title in since 2010 all helped Montgomery boys’ basketball coach Kris Grundy earn the Central Jersey Sports Radio Coach of the Year award for 2023-24.
The Cougars challenged themselves out of their conference, which already provided a daunting enough schedule, with the likes of Hillsborough, Gill St. Bernard’s, Watchung Hills, and Rutgers Prep.
And they more than handled themselves throughout. In a 25-4 season, the Cougars only lost to two teams, twice each to Prep and Lenape, once each in the regular season, and once each in the postseason. Montgomery fell by three in the Somerset County Tournament championship game, and after winning the Central Jersey Group 4 title by beating Monroe, they lost to Lenape to end their season in the Group 4 semifinals.
Besides the daunting schedule, late in the regular season, talented sophomore guard Ethan Lin went down with a season-ending ankle injury. His experience last year with Steve Donahue out – also to injury – had been paying off. But Grundy was able to work it all out, with the supporting cast of Miggy Aguilar, Brandon Hill, Jack Fromelt, and an emerging junior named Bohdan Biekietov, a refugee from the Ukraine who landed here with his mother and sister in September while his father helps defend his homeland against Russia.
Click below to hear Montgomery head coach Kris Grundy talk about Montgomery’s 2023-24 season:
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