JOHNNIES BE GOOD
With Ponds back, Big East coaches predicting a Storm surge in ’18-’19
The most anticipated St. John’s season in years had more hype added to it Thursday morning.
Two weeks before Chris Mullin’s pivotal fourth season coaching his alma mater begins, Big East coaches picked the Red Storm to finish fourth, which would be by far their best season under Mullin — and would likely secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
There are many reasons for such optimism, from the newfound depth to key additions and ample experience on the roster. But it also revolves around the return of one of the premier players in the country: Brooklyn guard Shamorie Ponds, the league’s leading scorer a year ago at 21.6 points per game.
Ponds was also picked by the coaches as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year.
The smooth, 6-foot-1 southpaw aptly nicknamed “Slick,” who received 10 Associated Press All-American votes and was one of 16 players named to the Bob Cousy watch list, is the first St. John’s player to receive such an honor since the late Malik Sealy shared it with Alonzo Mourning prior to the 1991-92 season.
The last Johnnie to be the league’s Player of the Year was Walter Berry in 1986.
“It’s a great accomplishment. That’s what today is about,” Mullin said on Big East media day at the Garden. “Tomorrow is about focusing on how you can be the postseason Player of the Year.”
At a time when few New York City stars stay home for high school, let alone college, the 20-year-old Ponds is an anomaly.
A four-star, top-50 recruit, he attended the same high school — Thomas Jefferson in Brooklyn — for four years, and was Mullin’s first big recruit, picking the Johnnies over Providence and Creighton. He rose to national stardom last year, keying stunning upsets over Duke and Villanova, and set an on-campus scoring record with 44 points in a win over Marquette.
It led to him testing the NBA draft waters and working out for six teams, before eventually opting to return to school to refine his game, add muscle and finish what he started.
“He had to learn how to be a professional,” his father, Shawn, said.
Teammates and coaches have seen strides since he made that decision, pointing to Ponds’ improved work ethic, eating habits (he has cut out sugar and is eating more fruit) and leadership growth.
Marvin Clark II said he’s noticed a more vocal teammate, too, describing the quiet-by-nature Ponds’ approach as “night and day.” He’s frequently in the gym at night getting in extra work and has put on muscle.
“He’s really taken the weight room a lot more seriously,” Clark said.
Mullin has been most impressed by how Ponds took the critiques from the NBA scouts and general managers, and has looked to make adjustments in his game by being more efficient and a playmaker first.
“He’s received it as an educational piece, as opposed to an indictment or criticism,” Mullin said.
Ponds has put up impressive numbers in his first two seasons — he set a program sophomore-year scoring record with 647 points while also averaging 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals, showcasing his wellrounded game — but he has yet to win. The Big East coaches believe that will happen this year, and Ponds is the leading reason for that belief.
“There’s a lot on the line,” he said. “It’s definitely motivation, knowing that we’re so highly talked about. We have to back it up. We can’t let it go to our head, be content, satisfied. We haven’t done anything yet.”
“I’m still going to try to get to the NBA,” Ponds said.