West Platte High School senior Drake Montez signs with St. Mary hoops

(WESTON, MO) - West Platte senior Drake Montez signed with St. Mary hoops in Leavenworth, Kansas on Thursday.

Montez finished his career with 1,381 career points, good for 9th all time in West Platte school history, 6th all time on the boys side.

Montez was named all-conference and all-district 3 times in his high school career. His 131 made free throws his senior season rank second all-time in school history. Montez finished with a win loss record of 62-39 at West Platte, including a 15-10 record his senior season.

"It means a lot. I put a lot of hard work in over the years coming in early in the summers and early before school and staying after school and just long practices, so it means a lot to be able to get to the next level," said Montez. "I just love everything about St. Mary. The coaches have been really great through this whole process. They've made sure to stay in contact and most importantly, I think St. Mary would be the best for my development as a player."

"It's a testament to all the stuff he's done throughout this program in the school district. He's been a great kid, a great hard worker, and obviously led us this year and the last couple of years. He deserves that," said former West Platte basketball coach Tyler Funk. "St. Mary is getting a good one, a guy that's not gonna back down from anything and he's gonna work hard. So I'm excited to see what he does at the next level."