St. John's University Athletics
Shamorie Ponds Finds Spot on Wooden Award Watch List
11/6/2018 1:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard earns yet another preseason individual honor
QUEENS, N.Y. – Just a few hours before he kicks off his junior season in Queens, Shamorie Ponds has garnered yet another preseason individual honor, earning a spot on the watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
Presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Wooden Award recognizes the top player in college basketball at the end of the season.
Ponds, who was one of 50 players announced to the watch list this afternoon on SportsCenter, will look to become the third player in St. John's history to garner this distinguished honor. Head Coach Chris Mullin took home the hardware after leading St. John's to its last Final Four appearance in 1985 a year before Water Berry made it two in a row for the Johnnies in 1986.
Ponds, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, is coming off a sophomore campaign that saw him lead the league and finish 18th nationally in scoring at 21.6 points per game. The southpaw from Brooklyn poured in 647 points on the year, a new program record for a sophomore and the eighth highest single-season total overall by a member of the Red Storm. After becoming just the 10th player in program history to break the 1,000-point plateau in his second season with the team, Ponds captured national player of the week honors in back-to-back tries after leading the Red Storm past No. 4 Duke and No. 1 Villanova. He netted 24 of his 33 points in the second half against the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden before leading the Johnnies to their first win over a top-ranked opponent four days later in Philadelphia.
Entering his junior season with 1,220 points for his career, Ponds possesses the fourth-highest two-year scoring total in program history, outpaced only by Walter Berry, Marcus Hatten and Bob Zawoluk.
Ponds and the Red Storm kick off the 2018-19 campaign tonight against Loyola Maryland. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Carnessecca Arena and will be broadcast on YES Network and 570 AM WMCA.
Presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Wooden Award recognizes the top player in college basketball at the end of the season.
Ponds, who was one of 50 players announced to the watch list this afternoon on SportsCenter, will look to become the third player in St. John's history to garner this distinguished honor. Head Coach Chris Mullin took home the hardware after leading St. John's to its last Final Four appearance in 1985 a year before Water Berry made it two in a row for the Johnnies in 1986.
Ponds, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, is coming off a sophomore campaign that saw him lead the league and finish 18th nationally in scoring at 21.6 points per game. The southpaw from Brooklyn poured in 647 points on the year, a new program record for a sophomore and the eighth highest single-season total overall by a member of the Red Storm. After becoming just the 10th player in program history to break the 1,000-point plateau in his second season with the team, Ponds captured national player of the week honors in back-to-back tries after leading the Red Storm past No. 4 Duke and No. 1 Villanova. He netted 24 of his 33 points in the second half against the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden before leading the Johnnies to their first win over a top-ranked opponent four days later in Philadelphia.
Entering his junior season with 1,220 points for his career, Ponds possesses the fourth-highest two-year scoring total in program history, outpaced only by Walter Berry, Marcus Hatten and Bob Zawoluk.
Ponds and the Red Storm kick off the 2018-19 campaign tonight against Loyola Maryland. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Carnessecca Arena and will be broadcast on YES Network and 570 AM WMCA.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballSt. John's Media Availability 5.18.2026
Monday, May 18
Postgame Press Conference St. John's vs Duke 3.27.2026
Friday, March 27
St. John's Men's Basketball Pregame Press Conference NCAA Sweet Sixteen vs Duke 3.26.2026
Thursday, March 26
St. John's Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Round 2 postgame Press Conference 3.22.26
Sunday, March 22