PEPPERDINE UPDATE: IT'S A DEVIN-ITE IMPROVEMENT PEPPERDINE'S MONTGOMERY HAPPY TO BE BACK IN TOWN (AND WARM).

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

INGLEWOOD - Two years makes a lot of difference between happiness and discontent, and Devin Montgomery, as happy a guy as you'll find these days, doesn't mind telling anyone just how big that difference can be.

Two years ago he was living thousands of miles away from home attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh - a school he'd never heard of prior to accepting a basketball scholarship there - playing for a coach he didn't much care for.

And he was cold.

``Very cold,'' Montgomery said, smiling.

Now Montgomery, the former Alemany High of Mission Hills standout, is back home in Southern California playing basketball at Pepperdine University for a coach he very much cares for.

And he's warm.

``What's not to be happy about?'' Montgomery asked as he sat with his Pepperdine teammates Thursday at The Great Western Forum before playing USC.

``After the way it all started for me, and how unhappy I was, for things to work out the way they have. Yeah, I'm pretty happy.''

Other than a having to sit out a recent game while serving a suspension for violating a team curfew rule along with two teammates - ``Let's just say what we did definitely wasn't worth it and it will never happen again,'' Montgomery said - things are, well, perfect.

Montgomery, who played last season at Moorpark College after leaving Duquesne, is the Waves' starting point guard, averaging nine points, four assists and three steals.

He hit three important free throws in a shocking victory over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion last week and has impressed Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal with his ability to break down his defender, get to the hole or kick it out to open teammates.

``Once he gets more comfortable with his teammates and their strengths, he'll be that much better,'' Westphal said.

Montgomery wasn't highly recruited out of Alemany, which is why he landed at Duquesne in the first place. Montgomery's travel-ball coach took an assistant-coaching job at Duquesne and immediately offered Montgomery a scholarship.

``They were the only school to offer one, and my mom wanted me to go to college, so that's where I went,'' he said.

It didn't take long for Montgomery to figure out it was a mistake.

``Probably the first game,'' he admits.

There were a number of factors. He wasn't comfortable in Pittsburgh with its harsh winter, his playing time was up and down and his Duquesne teammates were on the verge of mutiny against coach Darrelle Porter, who since has been replaced.

``When I first got out there, guys were telling me they were down on coach,'' Montgomery said. ``It wasn't a good situation at all.''

Montgomery played the year out, earning Atlantic-10 Conference freshman-team honors while averaging 7.7 points and three rebounds. But when he returned home to California for his birthday in May, he decided to stay.

Montgomery went to Moorpark because good friend T.K. Reed was playing there, and it turned out the best decision of his life.

``In terms of basketball experiences, it ranks right up there for me,'' said Montgomery, who averaged 21.4 points, four assists and four rebounds while leading the Raiders to the state final.

By the end of the year, then-Pepperdine coach Jan van Breda Kolff was showing interest in Montgomery.

``It was perfect,'' Montgomery said. ``It's at home, they play an up-and- down system that really suits my style. I was definitely happy they were interested.''

When van Breda Kolff left to take over at St. Bonaventure, the Waves brought in Westphal, the former Phoneix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics coach. For Montgomery, a great situation just got better.

``When he got the job, I was like, let's (do) it.''

He hasn't stopped since.