After anchoring the St. John’s men’s basketball team to a pair of early conference victories, Shamorie Ponds has been named the BIG EAST Player of the Week, it was announced today by the conference office.
Ponds, who also won the league’s player of the week award on Nov. 26 and has been named to the weekly honor roll four times, posted a pair of spectacular efforts in leading the Red Storm to wins over No. 16 Marquette and Georgetown. He averaged 31.5 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in those games while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and 58.8 percent from downtown.
On New Year’s Day against the nationally ranked Golden Eagles, Ponds poured in 20 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, setting the pace early for the Johnnies, who went on to win the contest by 20. The Brooklyn native connected on eight of his 15 shots from the field, including a 4-for-7 showing from three-point range. He also pulled down seven boards and dished out five assists while swiping a pair of steals.
A few days later at Georgetown, Ponds recorded his fourth 30-point effort of the season and the 10th of his career, pouring in 37 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including a 6-of-10 effort from beyond the arc. Additionally, Ponds tallied six assists and four steals, including a highlight reel theft in overtime to help seal the decision for the Johnnies. The win marked the first for St. John’s against Georgetown in Washington since 2003, snapping a streak of 13-straight losses for the Red Storm in the nation’s capital.
Ponds and the Red Storm return to action on Tuesday night at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion, taking on the defending national champions at 7 p.m. on FS1.
For more information on St. John’s Athletics: