By SAM LANCE
Big man Marcis Ponder is one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2026 class. He’s a 7-footer that weighs around 280 pounds and is built like a defensive end. But on the basketball court, he plays with some grace and runs the floor like he’s trying to sack the quarterback.
Ponder — who currently plays for West Oaks Academy (FL) — has had an interesting journey so far in his career. In ninth grade, he played for Miami Norland and then followed his teammates Matt and Ryan Bewley to Overtime Elite.
“Through that time, he was one of the youngest players at Overtime,” West Oaks head coach Kenny Gillion told ZAGSBLOG. “He developed playing against top players, and his confidence went up. He ballooned to 320 pounds [while there], so by the time he finished up and came back to me in the summer, he had to get back in shape. He spent the whole summer getting in shape and now he’s a guy that’s at about 280 pounds. He’s lost 40 to 50 pounds over the summer. And our biggest thing now is making sure he’s running the floor, challenging shots and blocking shots and adding to his offensive package.”
So far this high school season, Ponder is averaging around 12 rebounds and four blocks per game. And he’s doing exactly what has been asked of him by Brooks.
“I would say I like to hustle a lot,” Ponder said of his game. “Get multiple rebounds every game. You’ll always see me get multiple rebounds. You’ll always see me contest shots. Even when I don’t get a lot of points, I’m running the floor and getting rebounds.”
As for his recruitment, Ponder has offers from 12+ programs. He said a lot of schools are in contact but he’d like to give credit to Illinois, Providence, Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Georgia and Kansas. Ponder has taken one visit: an unofficial to Miami while Jim Larrañaga was still the head coach. He will trip Florida, Florida State and UCF upcoming but has no dates set.
Here’s what Ponder thinks of some of the programs in contact the most:
Illinois: “I’ve been hearing from coach Orlando [Antigua]. They love me there and I love it there. Mainly, the coach doesn’t look for me to score points. He always asks me, ‘How did I run the floor? How many rebounds? How did I contest, how many blocks? How is my motor.’ Stuff like that, which I really like.”
Providence: “They have a big there that’s like my playstyle [Bryce Hopkins], so I feel like I’d fit in. Coach Tim Fuller is recruiting me a lot.”
Florida State: “I love their playstyle. It’s the same defense my coach plays here [at West Oaks]. So I love how their defense [operates]. Everything goes through a big before a shot goes up, so I like stuff like that.”
Miami: “I’ve been to their practices like three times. I really love it. I actually love it.”
Kansas: “I talked to coach [Bill Self] after my game. He said he really loved how I play, really enjoyed watching me. I hope he’ll see me at Kansas one day.”
When Ponder starts visiting schools, he looking closely at a few aspects.
“Most important thing me and my mom are looking for is how the school environment is, if it’s like a good school,” Ponder said. “I know there will be good basketball, but school wise I’m really looking for that. Basketball wise I’m really looking at which coach can develop me more with my game. Not just a big but out on the perimeter like I was saying. So I’m looking for how I can get better, how I can get to the next level and how I can elevate my game.”
Ponder has seven siblings and one of them is an athlete as well. His brother, Sean Ponder, plays quarterback for Monsignor Pace High School in Miami. An interesting fact about Ponder is he loves to cook and wants to study culinary arts in college.
Ponder’s favorite NBA player is Joel Embiid. He said some people call him “Baby Shaq,” because of his dominate ways in the paint.
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