Northwestern basketball player’s hard work is rewarded

It’s never bad to see hard work and perseverance pay off.

James Montgomery III, who is a senior at Northwestern University, has been a walk-on with the school’s basketball team the last two seasons.

He’s played a total of 124 minutes for the school, scoring just 17 points while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Los Angeles is the type of player most teams have, someone whose greatest contribution is in leadership and giving their all in practice. Though guys like Montgomery may not play much in games, their contributions to the teams with which they are members of do not go unnoticed.

So, that’s why it was a pleasure to watch this video released by the school, which shows Montgomery learning from head coach Chris Collins that he had earned a full scholarship to attend Northwestern.

The announcement came in front of the entire team, which mobbed the popular player.

And to top it off, the video shows Montgomery informing his mother and sister of the news, and their respective reactions are priceless.

Turns out Montgomery is also a former high school teammate of Arizona Diamondbacks’ left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who sent his congrats via social media.

Love seeing James Montgomery my high school basketball teammate get a full scholarship at northwestern #hardworkpaysoff #NoDaysOff

— Tyler Skaggs (@TylerSkaggs37) October 23, 2013

Follow @AZSports