Ponds - 1st NBA game
- Thread starter Its*Over*Johnny
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MarkRedman
Well-known member
Moose" post=420463 said:
Shamorie was a Special Player for us . During his time here , he was the best player and had to shoulder the bulk of the Scoring load and handle being both , a PG and SG simulatanously . It was tough . Plus , at NBA standards he was on the Small Size . Most NBA guards are 6'3" or more . Look at Powell and Howard who were fortunate to make a NBA team as undrafted players . Typically the undrafted last a year or 2 and then are cut . There are a lot of very good players in College that don't fit that NBA profile . Even this year , how many BE players will even be drafted by the NBA ? A few ? Maybe . Let's give Shamorie his due here . He deserves it .
In today's NBA a player of Ponds size has to be able to shoot over forty percent from the NBA three point line to even be looked at.
Ray Morgan
Well-known member
SLYFOXX1968" post=420467 said:
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Ponds needed to have a work ethic like Fred van Vleet, who has worked his butt off to have a good NBA career. That said, Ponds was not a good enough PG, SG or scorer by NBA standards to be able to stick in the NBA.
I see Posh being more of the FVL mode, even in size and game, that could potentially translate more to the NBA.
I see Posh being more of the FVL mode, even in size and game, that could potentially translate more to the NBA.
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Great analogy. Fleet was a guy they were not sure would make the league but he continues to work like a Trojan. He made the league, stuck in the league, elevated his game to become a good player and through continued hard work is further elevating his game to star status. He is a huge fan favourite here in the Great White North and recently signed a large contract. For Fred Van Fleet hard work has paid off. Best of continued luck to both him and Shamorie.mm52" post=420504 said:
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Meanwhile Archidiacono has managed to last 4 years with the Bulls as back of the rotation guy and Brunson in his third year with Dallas and playing well. Neither are big guards or more talented than Shamorie. What they are by all accounts are extremely hard workers and great teammates. Of course their draft status was helped by being on national championship teams but once drafted they have been able to stick, at least to this point.
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boo haarvey
Active member
Paultzman" post=420570 said:
Boo Harvey" post=420595 said:
I was as big a Ponds fan as there was. He certainly started to wear down second half of his junior year. Combination I think of playing nearly every minute like you said and him not being in as good of shape as he could have been.
Boo I seem to recall the exact opposite of what you are saying. He was a little chunky, was eating McDonalds and was far from the best possible shape he could be in. There were also many a discussion that had our head coach been on campus as most coaches are during the summer period there would have been summer conditioning and off season preparation.Boo Harvey" post=420595 said:
unfortunately water under the bridge in respect of both Ponds and Mullin.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
redmannorth" post=420600 said:
I'll start by saying Ponds was one of my favorite all time St John's players to watch and one of the greats in program history. I hope they add his name to our honors wall someday.
That being said, it did always feel like he was getting by on natural talent and was failed by those around him. I never got the feeling he was a work horse behind the scenes who was willing to do whatever it takes to take his game to the next level. He obviously didn't need to in order to be a star in college. But with more direction from Mullin or his inner circle, he might be in a different position now. Ponds always seemed to carry himself like he was already a star and the NBA was an inevitability. It's really a shame he isn't dominating somewhere in the world right now. Compare his attitude to the humble spirit of D'Angelo Harrison and it will tell you all you need to know.
That being said, it did always feel like he was getting by on natural talent and was failed by those around him. I never got the feeling he was a work horse behind the scenes who was willing to do whatever it takes to take his game to the next level. He obviously didn't need to in order to be a star in college. But with more direction from Mullin or his inner circle, he might be in a different position now. Ponds always seemed to carry himself like he was already a star and the NBA was an inevitability. It's really a shame he isn't dominating somewhere in the world right now. Compare his attitude to the humble spirit of D'Angelo Harrison and it will tell you all you need to know.
Forget the NBA, or even G league.... it's just amazing to me he is not playing anywhere in world right now. It's been slightly over a year since last game when waived from his Raptors 2 way contract.
Clark Jr. In Belgium, Simon in Australia, Lovett in Portugal.....Ponds ???? Was hoping he'd shine overseas. Heron is a year behind Ponds but I don't think he's playing anywhere either.
Clark Jr. In Belgium, Simon in Australia, Lovett in Portugal.....Ponds ???? Was hoping he'd shine overseas. Heron is a year behind Ponds but I don't think he's playing anywhere either.
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beast of the east
Active member
I remember that the year before his final season he tested the waters by going to the NBA camps with Mullin's blessing. Mullin knew he wasn't ready to be an NBA player, but supported Shamorie's decision to go to the camps. He knew Shamorie would come back with valuable outside guidance as to what he needed in his game, and promised to work with him to improve on the skills necessary to get to the next level. GSJ thought that Mullin was incredibly patient and supportive.Amaseinyourface" post=420598 said:
Essentially he was told to not worry about points so much as higher shooting %, lower turnovers, more assists, and leading a winning team. The Ponds we saw in the first part of his final season was a better version than what we had seen. HE was playing with purpose, his game looked more refined, and we got off to a very good start.
My feeling is that what happened was that as the team stumbled in January and February, when Ponds drove and hit the open man, the open man couldn't hit the side of a barn. Time and time again it seemed, Heron, Clarke, and SImons missed wide open jumpers, and losses started to pile up. In this period, Ponds reverted to a less precise and productive version of himself, launching 25 foot uncontested shots with plenty on the clock, driving into a pile of waiting defenders, trying to do everything himself, maybe more for his own fortunes than the team. As frustrations grew, so did his mouthiness, and 7 technicals for a college player is ridiculous.
I don't think it had anything to do with conditioning and more to do with that.
Beast, you make good points. What I remember though about Ponds in the first half of that season was he seemed to be clearly hunting for assists almost to a detriment to the team. In spots where he could clearly attempt to score, he wasn't even attempting to look for his own shot. I can't say it made the team better. We had some close wins against teams that weren't very good.
SJU14
Well-known member
Boo Harvey" post=420595 said:
I don’t know if being overweight was Ponds’ issue when it comes to being in shape. It’s mostly that he came in with the body of a high schooler and left with the body of a high schooler. Pretty clear he didn’t spend too much time in the weight room.
Let's be real here, Shamorie was a very good college player for us, but he does not compare to the all time greats. Most of whom were All-American caliber players. Was Shamorie ever even 1st team All Big East? His lack of effort and decision making often had us very frustrated. My sense is that CMA would have taken him if he wanted to come here, but probably would not have pursued him very hard coming out of high school. He's the antithisis of a typical CMA type of player. Because of his size, Shamorie was going to have a hard time making the NBA under any circumstance. But by all accounts, his lack of commitment, especially during the off season, hurt him tremendously. For that, Shamorie deserves most of the blame. By comparison, I never got the sense that was a problem for his teammate Justin Simon. So clearly the opporitunitiy was there for any kid who wanted to work hard to make himself in to a better player. There have been a lot of players who have played for our storied program who gave 100%, not just the all time greats, and we know they became the very best player they could be during thier time here. Shamorie was not one of those kids.
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