By ADAM ZAGORIA
NEW YORK — Despite a snub from the NBA Draft Combine, St. John’s sophomore guard Shamorie Ponds intends to carry on with the draft process and has several workouts coming up this weekend.
The 6-foot-1 Ponds has already worked out for the Boston Celtics and has the Nets Thursday-Friday, and then the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday-Saturday, his father told ZAGSBLOG.
“I think the [Combine] list was solid,” said Ponds, referring to the 69-man list issued Monday by the NBA that included 18 players from Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Villanova but none from St. John’s or Seton Hall. “But I definitely think I should have been invited, I am still waiting this process out until the last day, May 30.”
Ponds’ father, Shawn, said he advised his son not to worry too much about the snub.
“‘Morie was a little bit disappointed [but] I explained to him this is life, things happen,” Shawn Ponds said. “You can only control what you do.
“We [are] going to continue to get better and see where we go from there.”
One NBA executive said he thought Ponds, who won the Haggerty Award as the best player in the New York metropolitan area, would be best served with another year in college.
“I think he has a chance but needs to stay in school at least another year,” one NBA executive said. “If he were to come out this year, he will be headed to the G League to start his professional career.”
St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said at the end of the season that Ponds would get feedback from the NBA personnel.
“The only people that matter are the 30 men that run the NBA teams, and he’ll get his input like every player in college can,” Mullin said. “Get transparent information and make a smart decision.”
Ponds also said then that St. John’s can be “one of the top teams in the Big East next year.”
“Oh for sure, now that we know what we can do, all of the bumps and bruises that we went through,” he said. “Next year we’re looking to be one of the top teams in the Big East.”
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