Ponds & Jordan Brand Games Notes

Joseph Staszewski – ‏@CNG_Staszewski

Ponds with a three and a transition layup and he is up to 11 points now with 10:34 to play in the game. #sjubb

Ponds gets an "Oh" from the crowd as he gets by four "defenders" for a hoop. He's up to 15 point and 2 assists now.
 
We should be very thankful we didn't lose Ponds to Providence. It was close.
 
Thomas Duffy – ‏@TJDhoops

Shamorie Ponds -- only NY player in the game -- starting to make some plays here. Little fella is up to 15 points (6-12 FG). Real shifty.
 
Just started watching the game. Two quick observations.

1. Maybe I am too old, but the music playing during the game is not my cup of tea.

2. Like an All-Star game.....no defense.
 
Big fan of Ponds. Yes he's smooth and can score but I also love his hustle. Even when his shot isn't falling he just finds ways to be around loose balls, get lay ups off run-outs, pesky hands on defense. He makes stuff happen. I think we got a good one who may be one of the better guards in the conference by the time he's an upperclassman.
 
The ever comparative schtick of Rothstein;

St. John's is getting a "Cuttino Mobley" type guard in 6-1 freshman Shamorie Ponds. A true two in a one's body. Slippery finisher. #sjubb
 
Ponds, who I have seen play a fair amount, and I think Lovett, who I have only seen once, are both just guards, scorers who can and will pass, passers who can and will score. I am not a big fan of the NBA, but I think the Warriors are demonstrating that the insistence of labeling players by position and even size is kind of silly. Makes it easier for talking heads but if you can play you can play. Tiny, Ernie D, Iverson, etc. there are a ton of examples. No guarantees but I have said before, I believe Ponds is a legit difference maker; a winner, team player, fearless, we shall see.
 
Ponds, who I have seen play a fair amount, and I think Lovett, who I have only seen once, are both just guards, scorers who can and will pass, passers who can and will score. I am not a big fan of the NBA, but I think the Warriors are demonstrating that the insistence of labeling players by position and even size is kind of silly. Makes it easier for talking heads but if you can play you can play. Tiny, Ernie D, Iverson, etc. there are a ton of examples. No guarantees but I have said before, I believe Ponds is a legit difference maker; a winner, team player, fearless, we shall see.
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I get same feeling. I watched him in the game yesterday, and he wasn't out there trying to show off. When he did want to take somebody off the dribble, you could see he could do it at will. Agree about the guards too. Nova and Uconn have had a ton of amazing guards go through there that were 2/3 combos or undersized 2's and they were extremely successful with them, kemba, Ben Gordon, Boatright, Foye, Reynolds and down the line.

Both Lovett and ponds are capable of playing PG easily, and both guys can go to the basket and shoot. Having interchangeable guys like that will make us better. I think we will surprise some people with our young talent this season. We won't look like last year's team at all.
 
Shamorie a little more of a scorer, LoVett a little more of a distributor. Both do both well and both can shoot it from deep.
 
I attended the Jordan Brand Classic last night at the Barclay’s Center. I was able to watch both the regional and national games. First I must say that All-star games are just exhibitions and not basketball as it will be played in true competitive situations. Thus all these observations must be seen through that lens. With that said here are my thoughts:

The talent level in the national game was generally higher than last year’s game. Next year’s freshman class seems much better and deeper than last year’s class. However there were some notable absences from the national game. Harry Giles a 6’ 9” forward bound for Duke and considered to be one of the top two prospects in the nation was in attendance, but unable to play due to a torn ACL. Additionally Kansas bound 6’ 7” small forward Josh Jackson (co-MVP of this year’s McDonald’s all American game) and perhaps the best player in the whole class was not one of this year’s Jordan Brand attendees. Another non-attendee was the top rated point guard in the class Lonzo Ball (headed to UCLA). Ball led the McDonald’s game with a record tying 13 assists and a pass first mentality that is unusual for showcase all-star games.

In addition to some of the players who were not in attendance or could not play, the game was negatively impacted by two bad injuries in the first half. Alterique Gilbert a 6’ 1” point guard headed to UConn separated his shoulder midway through the first half. Despite leaving early in the game Gilbert managed to lead his team with five assists. Shortly after Gilbert went down, Duke bound shooting guard Frank Jackson (the other co MVP of the McDonald’s game) took a hard fall and had to leave the game with a concussion.

Despite all of this there was plenty of talent out on the floor and much to be excited about.

First and most important to people here was Shamorie Ponds. The future St. John’s guard played on the losing West squad (Brooklyn is definitely west of Queens but not generally west of most places in the U.S.A.). After a lackluster first half where he scored only two points, Ponds came alive in the second half and wound up finishing the game with seventeen points on 7 for 15 shooting. He had two assists as well as three turnovers.

In this high flying type of dunk fest Ponds stood out as being out of his element at times. He was the smallest player on the court and probably the least athletic. He looked like a boy standing next to the powerful Bam Adebayo and was definitely not able to match the physicality of some of the players on the court. That being said he displayed a great handle, showed quickness with the ball, ran the point and found a way to compete and score against bigger and more athletic players. Having seen him play before I think he will be a great addition to our program and will be a player that will be much better suited to the more team oriented game you will see in college than the type of affair seen last night.

As for the rest of the Classic game (for the record the East team won 131-117) you would have to start with the Co-MVPs Kentucky bound guards De’Aaron Fox of the East (23 points and 5 rebounds) and Malik Monk (22 points and 5 rebound 3 assists and 3 steals). These two 6’ 3” guards showed immense skill level and will make a dynamic pair in Coach Calipari’s backcourt next year. It will be interesting to watch how these two will blend with our former recruit Isaiah Briscoe next season. Monk and Fox are both much better shooters than Briscoe and have elite levels of athleticism. Fox is tabbed to be a point guard and Monk an off guard but they both displayed skill sets that seem like they could be effective at either spot.

Perhaps the most NBA ready player, at least by the eye test was another Kentucky bound player Bam Adebayo. At a muscled 6’ 10” and 240 lbs. Adebayo has the body of a professional already. In addition to that he has a nice shooting touch (15 points on 7 of 8 shooting) and power, strength and agility that screams high lottery pick. In addition to his 15 points he added 5 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat line last night.

Jason Tatum is going to Duke and is another player who probably fits the one and done mold. He looks like an NBA player in many ways. He has the size at 6’ 9” 200 lbs. and a combination of top perimeter skills and high level athleticism that should land him in the lottery next year. He finished the game with 18 points 2 assists and 8 boards.

Another very talented guard last night was Markelle Fultz who will attend Washington. The 6’ 4” guard showed off a very good outside shot (3 for 7 from three point range) and excellent athleticism. He should make an impact for the Huskies right away. Miles Bridges (17 points) is a big time talented small forward and the type of recruit that Tom Izzo does not usually attract to East Lansing. He is lightning fast, jumps out of the gym and at 6’ 7” gets to the rim and flies above bigger players. He was definitely one of the best athletes on the court. Another player bound for Michigan State is Cassius Winston, a talented 6’ 1” point guard with an excellent court presence and quickness. He wound up scoring 13 points and had a game high 7 assists.

Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke and Kansas are all bringing in amazing classes next year and adding to their already elite talent bases. I guess it is true what they say, “the rich get richer”. Next November 15th these four powerhouses will all meet at the Garden for a doubleheader of must see college hoops in the Champions classic (Duke vs. Kentucky and Kansas vs. Michigan State). If you want to see a live preview of next season’s final four this might be your best opportunity.

Not to ignore the Big East, the other player represented from our conference in the Classic game besides Ponds was Omari Spellman. The 6’ 9” 275 lbs. Villanova commit battled on the inside effectively against the huge Kansas bound big (6’ 11” 270 lbs.) Udoka Azubuike, Adebayo and North Carolina bound Tony Bradley (6’ 10” 235 lbs.). Spellman is a load and led the game with 15 rebounds as well as scoring 12 points. With better conditioning Spellman could really develop, but he is already big and strong enough to be a significant factor for the defending national champion Wildcats. He should help ease Jay Wright’s pain of losing Senior center Daniel Ochefu to graduation.

In the regional game team New York defeated team East 148-128. The most dominant player on the court by far was Taureen Thompson. He was named a Co-MVP, played for the winning New York team and scored 27 points on 13 for 15 from the floor. He also grabbed 13 rebounds blocked a number of shots, altered a bunch more and had three assists. He is a very fluid player, gets to the basket easily, has a great soft touch on his shot and will be an excellent addition for whoever gets him.

The Co-MVP playing for the East team was Hofstra bound guard Elijah Pemberton. He scored 22 points on (9 for 11 from the field) added 5 rebounds and showed off the most consistent three point shot in either game last night.

There were some other very good players in the Regional game. Unique McLean was a local guard from Brooklyn. He is heading to UMass, is 6’ 1”, very quick and loved to run. He scored 24 points mostly in transition and grabbed 8 rebounds. Travis Atson is a 6’ 5” small forward headed to Tulsa. He displayed strong perimeter skills and an ability to get to the hoop in transition. He wound up scoring 25 points. Kevin Huerter is a 6’ 5” guard headed to Maryland and displayed a good all-around game and an excellent three point stroke. Indiana bound Devonte Green, younger brother of former North Carolina Tar Heel and current San Antonio Spurs’ guard Danny Green, had a good all-around game (9 points, a game high 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals). Bryce Aiken (20 points 7 Assists) headed to Harvard and Asante Gist (17 points 6 assists) headed to Eastern Kentucky are both excellent looking 6’ 0” point guards who will make a significant impact at the mid-major level. Dylan Painter, headed to Villanova, is a 6’ 10” big man who can rebound and is agile. He will definitely be an effective part of Jay Wright’s rotation down the road if not immediately.

Other players heading to Big East schools represented in the Regional game were: Myles Powell Seton Hall a 6’ 2” shooting guard (17 Points), Tyrique Jones a 6’ 7” 220 lbs. athletic power forward headed to Xavier and Jagan Mosely a 6’ 3” shooting guard headed to Georgetown. All three of these players has some good moments last night and should get some playing time next season.

All in all it was a really fun night of basketball at the Barclay’s Center. It was really nice to see the Islander retired jersey’s and championship banners adorning and brightening up the drab blackness that was the unfortunate choice of the interior designer of this arena.

Lastly I know I am probably in the minority these days (factoring in age and cultural demographics), but the idea that some DJ blasting loud incoherent rap music throughout the game adds something to this basketball event is to me absurd. From where I sit it is completely gratuitous and raises the annoyance barometer to an almost intolerable level and diverts attention from the athletes on the court. I believe they and the fans deserve better.
 
Zach Braziller ‏@NYPost_Brazille
Found it pretty cool that four of the St. John's freshmen attended the Jordan Classic to support recruit Shamorie Ponds. #sjubb.

I also think it's cool that they're showing support.
 
The reason we lost McLeod is because Mahoney tried to shove him in at center. He was clearly s SF or stretch 4 type. He went to Duke and lit it up as a wing player. His time at SJU was wasted because of stupid coaching decisions by a bad coach.
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Roshown wanted to play the wing and that wasn't happening here. When it came out that he was unhappy, even Sergio Lyuk (RIP) started seeing more minutes at the 4 (and yes Roshown also saw minutes at the five). He transferred and had very nice career at Duke but he did not get to play his preferred wing Position. They had plenty of wings but not enough bigs his first year so he played the four (stretch four) with Newton at center with the other three starters being guards (Capel, Langdon and Price) and averaged double figures. His second year was even better (I think he was either the leading or second leading scorer) but he was the tallest player in the lineup with Elton Brand, Chris Carrawell joining him up front (Brand actually played Center) with Langdon and Avery in the backcourt. Brand broke his hand and Battier replaced him until he returned.

I hated losing Roshown as I saw so much potential and thought there was a way he and Minlend could play together.
 
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