St. John's University Athletics
Shamorie Ponds Named MBWA Player of the Week
12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MBWA Release
QUEENS, N.Y. - Less than 24 hours after garnering his first Freshman of the Week accolade from the BIG EAST, St. John's guard Shamorie Ponds has been named the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association's Player of the Week, it was announced this morning.
Playing without injured classmate and fellow backcourt standout Marcus LoVett, Ponds put up a stellar week for the Red Storm, averaging 23.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per outing.
On Monday against Cal State Northridge, Ponds set career highs with 25 points and five assists, converting on 10 of his 18 tries from the floor. It took the Brooklyn native just three days to top those newly minted marks, as Ponds shot 9-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range to finish with 26 points against local rival Fordham. Ponds also dished out nine assists, grabbed seven boards and recorded four steals in a 90-62 victory over the Rams. Ponds closed out the week with an 18-point showing in his home borough at Barclays Center, tallying a team-high 18 points and making four of his eight tries from downtown against LIU Brooklyn.
For the week, Ponds shot 53.2 percent from the floor (25-of-47) and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-26).
Ponds currently ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in scoring at 17.4 points per game and leads the conference in three-point field goals made with 35.
Through games played on Sunday, Ponds ranks seventh in the nation in points per game among freshmen.
Ponds and the Red Storm return to action on Sunday, taking part in the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden against Penn State. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on FS1 and 970 AM WNYM.
