It’s Okay to Be Selfish
Montgomery explains his reasons for leaving Cal:
Coming to Cal in the first place wasn’t a slam dunk for Montgomery. He’s said it before and he told me again on the phone that his choice to attend Cal was more of a family decision. Even when he was being recruited, Montgomery wasn’t sure Cal was the right fit for him. But his family really wanted him to stay close to home, and as Montgomery put it, “they basically told me to go work hard and try to make it work.” He said he did that but “didn’t feel happy in Berkeley. I never felt it at Berkeley. It never really did it for me.”
Montgomery also said he never made the comments that were reported by RealDawg.com that questioned Cal’s tradition or its ability to sell out games even when the team was highly ranked.
“There’s a lot being twisted,” Montgomery said. “I would never talk bad about Cal. Everybody knows I’m a team guy.”
Knowing this, I’m behind the kid all the way. If you follow your parents’s wishes rather than your own when you’re of the age to make your own decisions, then you’re probably going to be pretty miserable in the long run. Kudos to James to realizing this in time, and I hope he figures out where he’ll be the happiest in the spring season.
(I just wish I had figured that out, but that’s a story you don’t need to know about)
Sidenote: I’ll be off Thursday-Sunday unless something urgent happens because no one’s going to be reading anything about college football the next four days; I might liveblog the tournament, but probably not. Back to a full schedule next Monday, and hopefully a new web design. In case there are any troubles with the transition, you might want to subscribe to the feed to look at the older posts.
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The real issue is that Monty is stuck in his childhood, and he doesn't know it. Everyone comes to a point in life, where they need to stand up and be their own. Monty failed to do this when he was 18. Now, he is still exhibiting a childlike behavior by measuring his success by emotions. This is a dangerous road, and many people are taken heavy meds for they have never found happiness down it.
If I were a Division I school coach, and I read what Monty said to J.O. about feelings, I'd pass on him in a heart beat. My guess is Monty will be heading to a division II school, and he will regret his decision. Live and learn! But, there's a lot of common sense from the collective human experience that is sound and worthy of reflection in one's personal life.
Selfishness in this case is wisdom; you must learn to take decisions into your own hands at the proper age and find a place where you are at ease.
Montgomery has exhibited considerable unease through most of his time at Cal, at least from up-close, according to several sources, and it seemed he was paying out his parents' wishes rather than following his own. This is the biggest step in a kid's life, to gain his independence and the confidence to follow his own path, regardless of the disapproval it brings.
As for Division II...uhh, no, I can't see a starred recruit landing at California of Pennsylvania. Montgomery has a good shot to land at Oregon or Washington, maybe even the Florida schools. He is still well-regarded and could very well make a difference at a strong Division I school.
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