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Recruiting: Four-Star Guard Shamorie Ponds Deciding Between Three Big East Rivals

By Chris Godfrey

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The race for New York City combo guard Shamorie Ponds is down to three, but one thing is certain, the Big East has already won.

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Ponds, who rocketed up recruiting rankings over the summer is said to be close to making a decision. He recently canceled a scheduled visit to Minnesota, leaving him to decide between a trio of Big East schools — St. John’s, Creighton, and Providence.

St. John’s figures to be a favorite. The Queens campus is a tantalizing local option for the Brooklyn native, and it’s clear playing in New York is a priority for Ponds. It’s not a coincidence that his other two finalists play in the same conference as the Johnnies, ensuring at least two visits a year. It also helps that new head coach Chris Mullin has made Ponds his number one priority in the Class of 2016.

It’s all a part of Mullin attempting to follow through on his promise to keep the best players in the New York City-area home for college, and without a doubt, Ponds is one of the best.

However, there is an underlying narrative present that may hurt Mullin’s chances of sealing the deal with Ponds. There are some murmurs that have suggested it may be wise for Ponds to leave the city for college. This is a usual conundrum for New York City high school basketball icons. Hangers-on and other outside influences can prove to be detrimental, or even destructive, as top prospects transition to the life of a college athlete.

New York City stars have a lengthy tradition of fleeing the city, and for the most part, the strategy has yielded positive results. Lance Stephenson, a much more hyped and more mercurial phenom from Brooklyn, benefited greatly from attending Cincinnati instead of St. John’s.

The separation from his local celebrity allowed him to have a positive college experience (that lasted a year). He steered clear of trouble until after he was selected in the NBA Draft. Shortly after, he was charged with assault for an incident involving a then-girlfriend. That incident happened in Brooklyn.

Stephenson’s experience in the Midwest at Cincy can be juxtaposed with the situation of current Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead. A Brooklyn native who attended Brooklyn’s famed Lincoln High School, just as Stephenson did, Whitehead committed to Seton Hall as the most ballyhooed New York City prospect since Stephenson left in 2009.

Whitehead’s freshman season at Seton Hall essentially led to disaster off the court for the program.

Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Whitehead reportedly traveled with a “posse” of friends who weren’t even thought to be students at Seton Hall. His presence also divided the locker room.

Jaren Sina, a starting guard, walked out on the team towards the end of the season, citing a negative relationship with Whitehead. Sterling Gibbs, the team’s top returning player, was also at odds with Whitehead and his crew during the season. Gibbs has since transferred to UConn, where he will play this season as a graduate student.

The fiasco at Seton Hall has some basketball minds hesitant to envision a marriage between the Johnnies and Ponds as a positive one. In fairness, Ponds is nowhere near the celebrity that Stephenson was, and doesn’t appear to have the polarizing personality that has plagued Whitehead at Seton Hall.

Ponds’ ascent has been so recent that the concept of him being a top recruit is still relatively new. It’s unclear how he will react to the changing dynamic.

While the cautionary tales of Whitehead and Stephenson could be potentially crippling for St. John’s, they play into the favor of the Creighton Blue Jays. The Catholic institution located in Omaha, Nebraska offers over 1,200 miles of separation between Ponds and anything that could inhibit him back in Brookyln. Relocating a posse from Brooklyn to Omaha would seemingly be a tough sell to even the most loyal crony. A commitment to Creighton would likely mean full focus on basketball, and an substantial role from day one. He would likely be Creighton’s number one scoring option from the onset next year.

Ponds has made his name as a gifted scorer, and in their first season post-Doug McDermott, it quickly became clear that the Jays were short on creative talent offensively. This is a problem that he could solve. He also wouldn’t be the first New Yorker to venture out to Omaha. Devin Brooks, a Harlem native who attended St. Raymond’s high school in the Bronx, graduated in 2014 after playing two years at the school (he arrived as a junior college transfer from Iowa Western).

The successful stint from Brooks offers credence to the fact that the culture shock of moving to Omaha from New York City is manageable. However, it will be most important for head coach Greg McDermott to prove that he can put adequate talent around him.

At Providence, head coach Ed Cooley won’t have to convince Shamorie Ponds that he can recruit the talent. The Friars have been second to only Villanova when it comes to success in the new Big East. However, Cooley will likely be asking Ponds to fill some of the biggest shoes in the country.

The Friars have likely come to terms with the fact that their All-American point guard, Kris Dunn, won’t be returning for his senior season. That means they’re in the market for a replacement. Providence would give Ponds the opportunity to step into a high profile position, taking over a team that would be presumably coming off its third straight season at the top of the Big East standings. While Creighton and St. John’s are in periods of transition, Providence represents a stable option that offers instant playing time and the opportunity to compete for the top spot in a reputable league.

All biases aside (I’m a St. John’s graduate), the Friars look to be the most appealing option for Ponds. Ed Cooley has built a solid program in Little Rhodey, and Ponds would be an ideal fit for their roster moving forward. However, Chris Mullin has really changed how local recruits are viewing the Red Storm. I’d guess that Ponds stays home and commits to the Red Storm. It would be a commitment that could open the floodgates in terms of city prospects converging in Queens in the years to come.

Ponds is expected to make his decision in the next few weeks.

Next: A Leaner, Meaner Kennedy Meeks Means Trouble for the ACC

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