by Josh Adams

@ncaahoopsdigest

 

Shamorie Ponds sat down with College Hoops Digest at St.John’s Media Day on Tuesday to answer three questions about the upcoming 2018-19 season. Ponds returned to the Red Storm with great fanfare this year after contemplating testing the waters in the NBA Draft.  As a sophomore, Ponds was brilliant for the Red Storm. His southpaw handle on the ball overwhelmed opponents and his knack for saving his best performances against top flight teams made him a legend in St. John’s circles. Ponds dominance in wins over Duke and Villanova last year will be a part of Red Storm basketball lore for a generation. What hasn’t happened yet in his college career is the postseason. The mission is clear for Ponds as we near the start of the season. It is to get his Red Storm team to play deep into March. The NBA will have to wait for his talent. What’s at stake for him now is his place in St. John’s storied basketball history. We asked Ponds 3 questions here:

Question 1: Now that your back, you’ll probably be preseason Big East Player of the Year. What are the expectations for yourself for the 2018-19 season?

Ponds: I mean, just to win. I had some accolades last season but I didn’t showcase my winning last year. That’s what people want to see. They want to see me lead this team to be winners. It would be a blessing to have my number up there (retired) at Carnesseca.

Question 2: What have the additions of transfer players like Mustapha Heron, Mikey Dixon and LJ Figueroa mean to the success of this year’s team?

Ponds: They definitely add a lot of pieces that we need on our team especially with adding a lot of depth. Those guys, they’re good at what they do. They make the team more consistent with their abilities.

Question 3: What emotions were you feeling this off-season while you were making the decision on returning to school against turning pro? Do you have any second thoughts about it now? 

Ponds:  It was emotional. It was a life changing decision to come back. It was based on family first. I feel like I made the right decision. I had people around me going both ways on it. We all eventually sat down and came to an agreement that I should come back to St. John’s. I have no regrets about it. Definitely.

 

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