Around the Big East 18/19

Per Rothstein
Early prediction on Seton Hall's starting five: Quincy McKnight, Myles Powell, Myles Cale, Sandro Mamulekashvili, Taurean Thompson. #shbb

Sandro Mamukelashvili shining here at Seton Hall practice. Like Myles Cale, should make monster jump from freshman to sophomore year. #shbb

Seton Hall's season will come down to point guard play and the production level of Syracuse transfer Taurean Thompson. Pirates need both to have a chance to get back to the NCAA Tournament. #shbb

Impressed with the steadiness, poise, and decision making of Seton Hall freshman Anthony Nelson. Never gets rattled. 6-4 lefty is rock solid. #shbb

Hate to say it, but I think SH will be tough this year. Don’t underestimate them in BE opener.
 
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Marquette blog listing of remaining top BE players w Ponds on top with Simon in top 10.
https://painttouches.com/2018/09/17/top-50-players-in-the-big-east-10-1-3/

It’s been over a month since we released the first segment of our third annual top 50 and we are finally at the number one player in the Big East. Some years picking this spot is difficult, but not this year. All our contributors on this list unanimously selected Shamorie Ponds as the top player in the Big East. Ponds has been a superstar for the Red Storm since stepping foot in Queens. He led the Big East in scoring and stuffed the rest of the stat sheet to capacity. He rebounds well for his size and was second in the Big East for assist%. Where he really brings value is on the defensive end. His 2.1 steals a game was 2nd in the Big East and his points per possession allowed were in the top 10. He’s not big, he’s not strong, but he has unmatched quickness and unparalleled instincts. Any mistake, any halfhearted passes on the perimeter and Ponds is likely to snatch it and fly down the court for an uncontested bucket. Offensively he uses that quickness to weave through defenses. His go to move is to attack out of the pick and roll. He can take the ball all the way, stop on a dime for a mid-range jumper, or hit one of the many other weapons featured on the Red Storm.

St. John’s will unquestionably be a better team next season, though we are still waiting to see how much better. The eligibility of Mustapha Heron is a huge question heading into the season and could be the difference between a top 3 and bottom 3 finish for St. John’s. Ponds led the Big East in usage last season which means his role is unlikely to increase this year. What this could mean is that he can work on his efficiency. His eFG% of 46.4% was in the bottom 10 of players on this list. He put up huge numbers because he had to do almost everything for St. John’s. With new weapons like LJ Figueroa, Mikey Dixon, and possibly Heron…not to mention improvement from Justin Simon and Marvin Clark Jr, Ponds should be able take better shots and become a more effective scorer. What sets Ponds apart from every other player on this list is his ability to enter “God mode” and take over a game. For the last 9 games of the season, which included St. John’s wins against Duke and at Villanova, Ponds averaged 27.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game to along with 36% 3P shooting. When he reaches this level there is simply no stopping him. If he can will St. John’s to a top 3 finish in conference, he will be the Big East Player of the Year. Only thing holding him back is if St. John’s spends another season on the outside of the tournament looking in.
 
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Paultzman wrote : Marquette blog listing of remaining top BE players w Ponds on top with Simon in top 10.
painttouches.com/2018/09/17/top-50-playe...the-big-east-10-1-3/

It’s been over a month since we released the first segment of our third annual top 50 and we are finally at the number one player in the Big East. Some years picking this spot is difficult, but not this year. All our contributors on this list unanimously selected Shamorie Ponds as the top player in the Big East. Ponds has been a superstar for the Red Storm since stepping foot in Queens. He led the Big East in scoring and stuffed the rest of the stat sheet to capacity. He rebounds well for his size and was second in the Big East for assist%. Where he really brings value is on the defensive end. His 2.1 steals a game was 2nd in the Big East and his points per possession allowed were in the top 10. He’s not big, he’s not strong, but he has unmatched quickness and unparalleled instincts. Any mistake, any halfhearted passes on the perimeter and Ponds is likely to snatch it and fly down the court for an uncontested bucket. Offensively he uses that quickness to weave through defenses. His go to move is to attack out of the pick and roll. He can take the ball all the way, stop on a dime for a mid-range jumper, or hit one of the many other weapons featured on the Red Storm.

St. John’s will unquestionably be a better team next season, though we are still waiting to see how much better. The eligibility of Mustapha Heron is a huge question heading into the season and could be the difference between a top 3 and bottom 3 finish for St. John’s. Ponds led the Big East in usage last season which means his role is unlikely to increase this year. What this could mean is that he can work on his efficiency. His eFG% of 46.4% was in the bottom 10 of players on this list. He put up huge numbers because he had to do almost everything for St. John’s. With new weapons like LJ Figueroa, Mikey Dixon, and possibly Heron…not to mention improvement from Justin Simon and Marvin Clark Jr, Ponds should be able take better shots and become a more effective scorer. What sets Ponds apart from every other player on this list is his ability to enter “God mode” and take over a game. For the last 9 games of the season, which included St. John’s wins against Duke and at Villanova, Ponds averaged 27.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game to along with 36% 3P shooting. When he reaches this level there is simply no stopping him. If he can will St. John’s to a top 3 finish in conference, he will be the Big East Player of the Year. Only thing holding him back is if St. John’s spends another season on the outside of the tournament looking in.

No doubt we should be a top 3 team in BE if MH plays; bottom 3 if he doesn't is a little extreme imo, but it definitely would put us mid-pack absent top notch rookie seasons from Keita, Dixon & Figgy. I'd say it was pretty impressive that Marquette had #2 and #4 players on this list if it wasn't a Marquette fan publication ;)
 
Per 247Sports
Akok Akok, one of the breakout stars from the July evaluation periods, has narrowed his list of schools to five and set up official visits to each, he tells 247Sports.
Akok's list of finalists include Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Providence and Syracuse.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295945]Ewing is building that foundation inclusive of three star kids with potential while taking a stab at better level players as well.

https://twitter.com/hoyas247/status/1044551633361948672?s=21[/quote]

Good kid and heckuva student (Ivy league schools were targeting him). He's came a long way, as he barely touched the floor as an 8th grader. He'll likely be somewhat of a project on the collegiate level. His shotblocking is his strong quality at this juncture, although he does have decent hands. He plays on a solid Ridge View team (several players have college offers), which returns all starters from a state championship team.
 
[quote="Section9" post=296229]We'll run rings around 'em.[/quote]

Yup, their unknown is PG
 
[quote="Moose" post=294021]

the SJU athletic site doesn't work in Europe????[/quote]

Finally I can see the web page!!! :) :)
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=295979]Per 247Sports
Akok Akok, one of the breakout stars from the July evaluation periods, has narrowed his list of schools to five and set up official visits to each, he tells 247Sports.
Akok's list of finalists include Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Providence and Syracuse.[/quote] Akok Akok to Uconn would be a kick in the nuts
 
Zach B:

"Jay wright tells Jon Rothstein he believes Shamorie Ponds should be Big East Player of the Year and St John's is ready to come onto the scene (and win) this year".
 
[quote="mjmaherjr" post=296645][quote="Paultzman" post=295979]Per 247Sports
Akok Akok, one of the breakout stars from the July evaluation periods, has narrowed his list of schools to five and set up official visits to each, he tells 247Sports.
Akok's list of finalists include Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Providence and Syracuse.[/quote] Akok Akok to Uconn would be a kick in the nuts[/quote]

Just like the days of the old Big East with those schools! As usual, we never made the final cut.:(
 
[quote="MarkRedman" post=296727]Zach B:

"Jay wright tells Jon Rothstein he believes Shamorie Ponds should be Big East Player of the Year and St John's is ready to come onto the scene (and win) this year".[/quote]

Nice compliment but Jay Wight should stick to commenting on his own players and team expectations.

I recall when he comments on his own squad, he downplays their skill and potential.

No need for opposing coach on National Champs to put that added pressure on our guys. We do that enough here !!!!
 
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Per Rothstein
Sources: Duke, Georgetown, Texas, and Cal will headline the 2019 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden.
 
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