Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
By SEAN MORANCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Shamorie Ponds, a 6-foot-1 2016 guard out of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Thomas Jefferson, had quite a weekend at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.
After staking his claim as one of the top scorers on the Nike EYBL circuit, where he averaged 17.1 points per game, Ponds finished fourth at the Top 100 camp with an average of 15.1 points per game. He was also interviewed by former Knick forward Amar’e Stoudemire, as seen in this picture.
“It was exciting,” Ponds said of meeting Stoudemire, now with the Mavericks. “He asked me about coming out of Brooklyn and did I have anything to prove coming to this camp. He told me I had an amazing game.
“I just said I wanted to play against the best in the country and show that I’m the best in the country.”
Shamorie Ponds is piling up D-1 offers. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Under Armour)
The diminutive point guard scored almost every way imaginable while going against some of the top players in the country. He showed great body control when driving to the basket and routinely evaded the taller defenders looking to block his shot. Ponds finished with either hand when converting difficult lay-ups and showed a stellar mid-range jumper as well.
With his strong play as of late, Ponds has racked up a variety of offers from high-major programs. He noted that Seton Hall, Temple, St. John’s, Oklahoma, Miami, Georgia Tech, Xavier, and Minnesota had all offered.
Going into the July live period, Ponds plans to take his time.
“I kind of want to add more offers and then I want to cut my list down,” said Ponds. “Probably my senior year, middle of my senior year I’ll decide.”
So far Ponds has visited a few of the colleges that are showing strong interest. About Temple, Ponds noted, “I liked the campus. The fans out there love me.”
Being from New York, Ponds also noted that St. John’s coach Chris Mullin had made it a priority to recruit him.
“He’s a cool guy,” said Ponds. “He’s usually hands on and will talk to you every now and then.”
Going forward, Ponds will compete with his NY Lightning AAU team in the Nike Peach Jam during the first July live period where the aforementioned schools will certainly be tracking his movement along with other coaches looking to get in the market for a high scoring point guard.
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
By SEAN MORAN
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Shamorie Ponds, a 6-foot-1 2016 guard out of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Thomas Jefferson, had quite a weekend at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.
After staking his claim as one of the top scorers on the Nike EYBL circuit, where he averaged 17.1 points per game, Ponds finished fourth at the Top 100 camp with an average of 15.1 points per game. He was also interviewed by former Knick forward Amar’e Stoudemire, as seen in this picture.
“It was exciting,” Ponds said of meeting Stoudemire, now with the Mavericks. “He asked me about coming out of Brooklyn and did I have anything to prove coming to this camp. He told me I had an amazing game.
“I just said I wanted to play against the best in the country and show that I’m the best in the country.”
