Impact freshmen at SJU

monte

monte

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Since starting to seriously follow SJU hoops in the late 70's, Shamorie is only the 2nd high impact/star quality freshman that I can think of. His head coach being the other. Not to say that there weren't a myriad other freshman who made an impact(IE Malik, Ron, Moe, etc), but the only two that I can think who were stars from the moment they stepped foot on the court were Chris and now Shamorie. Transfer impact players included Walter and Marcus. Am I missing anyone? Please don't tell me Omar Cook.
 
Beyond his shooting skills, I am so impressed by his cerebral, savvy play. I don't recall too many other freshman at SJU who exhibited his poise & smart play out of the gate. Yes it is still early in season, but in crunch time most of us are saying, "Give it to Ponds". That may say something.

Lastly, Barkley, a great one, had a far better supporting cast. We depend on Ponds far beyond the norm IMO.
 
Beyond his shooting skills, I am so impressed by his cerebral, savvy play. I don't recall too many other freshman at SJU who exhibited his poise & smart play out of the gate. Yes it is still early in season, but in crunch time most of us are saying, "Give it to Ponds". That may say something.

Lastly, Barkley, a great one, had a far better supporting cast. We depend on Ponds far beyond the norm IMO.
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It would be stupid. But the more threads I see about how great he is the more worried I get about him leaving.
He is way too small, not a true point and has a funny looking( though quick and surprisingly soft for a slingshot type) shot.
There now I feel better
 
Erick Barkley played like a senior from Day 1.
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Agreed. Very solid player, but not a star.
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Made the biggest impact I've seen from a frosh, taking a ho-hum team and leading them to the Elite 8.
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Not sure how you can call a team Ho-hum that featured Postell, Bootsy, Grant, Jessie and Artest, and that went 22-10 the prior year. Not debating that that Barckley wasn't a very good freshman who played a huge roll on that team, but not a star caliber player IMO.
 
Beyond his shooting skills, I am so impressed by his cerebral, savvy play. I don't recall too many other freshman at SJU who exhibited his poise & smart play out of the gate. Yes it is still early in season, but in crunch time most of us are saying, "Give it to Ponds". That may say something.

Lastly, Barkley, a great one, had a far better supporting cast. We depend on Ponds far beyond the norm IMO.
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So to did CM have a far better supporting cast, but there was no doubt that he was special when he first stepped foot on the court. Same can be said about Ponds. IMO if he had a better supporting cast he would be relied upon less, but would still possess that same star quality that so few ever do right off he bat.
 
Erick Barkley played like a senior from Day 1.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Very solid player, but not a star.
Click to expand...

Made the biggest impact I've seen from a frosh, taking a ho-hum team and leading them to the Elite 8.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you can call a team Ho-hum that featured Postell, Bootsy, Grant, Jessie and Artest, and that went 22-10 the prior year. Not debating that that Barckley wasn't a very good freshman who played a huge roll on that team, but not a star caliber player IMO.
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Shamorie is great, may become an all-time great. Will wait until the end of the year to rank him.

Best frosh I've seen in my lifetime.
1. Chris
2. Barkley
3. Moe (c'mon, he was goddamn awesome in his one year here. True star on a turrrible team)
4. Sealy
5. Metta
6. Harrison
7. Everyone else (but probably Omar for the haters).
 
Beyond his shooting skills, I am so impressed by his cerebral, savvy play. I don't recall too many other freshman at SJU who exhibited his poise & smart play out of the gate. Yes it is still early in season, but in crunch time most of us are saying, "Give it to Ponds". That may say something.

Lastly, Barkley, a great one, had a far better supporting cast. We depend on Ponds far beyond the norm IMO.
Click to expand...

It would be stupid. But the more threads I see about how great he is the more worried I get about him leaving.
He is way too small, not a true point and has a funny looking( though quick and surprisingly soft for a slingshot type) shot.
There now I feel better
Click to expand...

Since the ball goes in the hoop, his funny looking release, which I am not seeing, is meaningless. Ponds kind of finishes like Steph Curry, and it works for him. His shot is very consistent, meaning he may miss, but it's generally on line. Reggie Miller had a peculiar release. It's the result that counts. As for NBA prospects, Tarik compared him to Nick Van Exel. He had a good pro career. I think he is too young and thin to even think about it at this point.
 
Lavin recruited a lot of athletes. But Ponds is a BB player. Knows how to get the ball through the hoop inside and out and is smart and poised beyond his years. He is going to be a special player. To think what we have been seeing is only the first half of his freshman year.
 
Although he was over hyped before he even put on the uniform, I think you might consider Felipe Lopez in this comparison:
Freshman:
Pts Ave: 17.8
Shooting 41%
Reb 5.7
MP 34.5
Unfortunately his stats never improved after that freshman season but he was a great kid & fun to watch.
 
I love Ponds! He is totally great but this is also an apples to oranges kind of a comparison. We have never had a high caliber Freshman come in following an 8 and 24 season before.

That being said anyone who saw Ron Artest or Malik Sealy as freshman knew that they were very high impact players. Artest played with Felipe and Zendon as Seniors as well as other good talent. Sealy played with Jayson Williams and other pretty good players as well. However they both had huge impact on their respective teams immediately.

Also neither Sealy or Artest were guards who played with the ball in their hands as much as Ponds does. That all being said Ponds has been wonderful and in the context of this year and this group his impact is huge and undeniable. Hopefully he will have a long and prosperous career at St. John's
 
Beyond his shooting skills, I am so impressed by his cerebral, savvy play. I don't recall too many other freshman at SJU who exhibited his poise & smart play out of the gate. Yes it is still early in season, but in crunch time most of us are saying, "Give it to Ponds". That may say something.

Lastly, Barkley, a great one, had a far better supporting cast. We depend on Ponds far beyond the norm IMO.
Click to expand...

It would be stupid. But the more threads I see about how great he is the more worried I get about him leaving.
He is way too small, not a true point and has a funny looking( though quick and surprisingly soft for a slingshot type) shot.
There now I feel better
Click to expand...

Since the ball goes in the hoop, his funny looking release, which I am not seeing, is meaningless. Ponds kind of finishes like Steph Curry, and it works for him. His shot is very consistent, meaning he may miss, but it's generally on line. Reggie Miller had a peculiar release. It's the result that counts. As for NBA prospects, Tarik compared him to Nick Van Exel. He had a good pro career. I think he is too young and thin to even think about it at this point.
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Love Ponds. At this point I don't think he is ready or would get drafted possibly. Was listing reasons he should not entertain any of those thoughts to make myself feel better. Brings shot up from his his hip. Not a classic shot, not that it really matters. I like Dave from JJ's Cuttino Mobley comparison better.
 
Erick Barkley played like a senior from Day 1.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Very solid player, but not a star.
Click to expand...

Made the biggest impact I've seen from a frosh, taking a ho-hum team and leading them to the Elite 8.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you can call a team Ho-hum that featured Postell, Bootsy, Grant, Jessie and Artest, and that went 22-10 the prior year. Not debating that that Barckley wasn't a very good freshman who played a huge roll on that team, but not a star caliber player IMO.
Click to expand...

Shamorie is great, may become an all-time great. Will wait until the end of the year to rank him.

Best frosh I've seen in my lifetime.
1. Chris
2. Barkley
3. Moe (c'mon, he was goddamn awesome in his one year here. True star on a turrrible team)
4. Sealy
5. Metta
6. Harrison
7. Everyone else (but probably Omar for the haters).
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Don't need to wait till end of year since I am comparing Ponds right now(midway through his freshman year) to other players at the same point. Shamorie has a star quality( he wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line, and fans want the ball in his hands with the game on the line) that few have had. Everyone you list were excellent first year players for us. Not disputing that. And Shamorie may not achieve the same level of success over 4 years(being presumptuous) as, say, Malik. However as a Freshman IMO he has shown a maturity and coolness, combined with exceptional talent, of few that I have ever seen here.
 
Although he was over hyped before he even put on the uniform, I think you might consider Felipe Lopez in this comparison:
Freshman:
Pts Ave: 17.8
Shooting 41%
Reb 5.7
MP 34.5
Unfortunately his stats never improved after that freshman season but he was a great kid & fun to watch.
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Nice stats. Great kid and rep of school. Could never possibly live up to the hype coming out of High School. But may not make my list of top 15 freshmen since I started following SJU ball. Similar could be said of Zendon.
 
I wasn't around for Mel Davis or George Johnson, but Moe Harkless may have been the best rebounder I've ever seen at SJU regardless of class.
.
 
I wasn't around for Mel Davis or George Johnson, but Moe Harkless may have been the best rebounder I've ever seen at SJU regardless of class.
.
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I wish someone could find some videos of Mel Davis' 2 seasons at SJU. I think he finished second to Kermit Washington in the country in rebounding both years. He rebounded with ferocity. GJ and Harkless not in his league on the glass. Nobody since he played was, so that's no shame.
 
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