St. John’s Looks To Rebound From Bad Year With Good Guard Play

NEW YORK — One year after winning just one Big East game, St. John’s was picked to finish eighth in the league this season.

Still, there are some bright spots as head coach Chris Mullin enters his second year at the helm of the Red Storm. Brooklyn point guard Shamorie Ponds – ranked 36th in his class by ESPN – was named Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year..

“He’s been good,” Mullin said Tuesday at Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden, where he played with St. John’s in the mid-1980s. “He’s a talented kid. He’s very smart on the court. Got good feel, and he’s got a natural instinct for the game. I think he has the type of game and type of personality where he just knows how to fit in with any group. He really has a good feel.”

On the recruiting front, Mullin believes Ponds can help St. John’s lands other New York-area stars.

“He is the type of kid we want,” he said. “A kid who wants to stay home, play in front of his family and friends, and play here at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.'”