Shamorie Saequan Ponds (born June 29, 1998) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player for the
Astros de Jalisco
Astros de Jalisco (English: ''Jalisco Astros'') is a professional Mexican basketball team, based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The Astros are part the CIBACOPA and the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basketball league in M ...
of the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...
(LNBP). He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
St. John's Red Storm.
High school career
Ponds played high school basketball for
Thomas Jefferson High School in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, where in 2016 he led the team to its first New York City title since 1954. He chose to attend nearby
St. John's to play for coach
Chris Mullin
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (in 2010 as a memb ...
.
Ponds was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked 37th overall recruit and 9th best point guard in the 2016 high school class.
College career
As a freshman, Ponds was one of the top freshmen in the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
, averaging 17.4 points and averaging 3.3 assists as the starting
point guard for the Red Storm. At the close of the season, Ponds was named to the conference all-freshman team.
Following his freshman year, Ponds became a top player in the Big East as a sophomore. Ponds made a national name for himself with standout performances in back to back upset wins over fourth-ranked
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
, top-ranked
Villanova, as well as scoring 44 points, a
Carnesecca Arena
Carnesecca Arena (formerly Alumni Hall) is a 6,107-seat multi-purpose arena in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. It was built in 1961 and renamed in honor of Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca on November 23, 2004. It is the excl ...
record, against the
Marquette Golden Eagles
The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche (football only), are the athletic teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They ...
. At the close of the season, Ponds was named first-team All-Big East and won the
Haggerty Award __NOTOC__
The Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award is given to the All-New York Metropolitan NCAA Division I men's college basketball player of the year, presented by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) ...
as the top college player in the New York City metro area.
Following his sophomore season, Ponds declared his eligibility for the
2018 NBA draft. He did not initially hire an agent. He decided to return to St. John’s for his junior season. Ponds averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.6 steals in 35.1 minutes per game as a junior. He left St. John's for the NBA after the season concluded.
Professional career
Toronto Raptors (2019–2020)
After going undrafted in the
2019 NBA draft
The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...
, the
Houston Rockets signed Ponds to a contract to play in the
2019 NBA Summer League
The 2019 NBA Summer League was held at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It began on July 5 and ended on July 15. All 30 teams and two national teams, China and Croat ...
and take part in training camp. He later had his contract converted to a
two-way
Two-way or Two Way may refer to:
* " 2-Way", single by rapper Lil' Romeo
* Two-way, Cincinnati chili topped on spaghetti
* "Two Way" (KT Tunstall and James Bay duet), 2016
See also
*
*
*
* 3-Way (disambiguation)
{{Disambiguation ...
deal, a decision which was later reversed. On October 19, 2019, the Rockets released Ponds.
On October 23, 2019, the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
announced they had signed Ponds to a
two-way contract
A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...
. Under the terms of the deal, he would split time between the Raptors and their
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...
affiliate, the
Raptors 905
The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...
. On November 27, 2019, Ponds made his NBA debut against the
New York Knicks, scoring 4 points and making his first NBA basket. On December 31, 2019, Ponds set a new career high with 5 points against the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 15, 2020, the Raptors waived Ponds.
Spars (2021)
On February 23, 2021,
Spars of the
Bosnian League announced they had signed Ponds to for the rest of the 2020–21 season.
Delaware Blue Coats (2021–2022)
Ponds was selected by the
Delaware Blue Coats
The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was found ...
first overall in the
2021 NBA G League draft.
Astros de Jalisco (2023–present)
Ponds led the
Astros de Jalisco
Astros de Jalisco (English: ''Jalisco Astros'') is a professional Mexican basketball team, based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The Astros are part the CIBACOPA and the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basketball league in M ...
to a
CIBACOPA league title in 2023 and was named Finals MVP.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, 4 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .600 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 4 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .600 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.3
College
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2016–17
, style="text-align:left;",
St. John's
, 33 , , 33 , , 33.6 , , .439 , , .375 , , .823 , , 4.4 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , 17.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2017–18
, style="text-align:left;",
St. John's
, 30 , , 30 , , 37.0 , , .420 , , .253 , , .857 , , 5.0 , , 4.7 , , 2.3 , , .1 , , 21.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2018–19
, style="text-align:left;",
St. John's
, 33 , , 33 , , 35.1 , , .454 , , .353 , , .836 , , 4.1 , , 5.1 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , 19.7
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 96 , , 96 , , 35.2 , , .437 , , .328 , , .840 , , 4.5 , , 4.3 , , 2.3 , , .2 , , 19.5
References
External links
St. John's Red Storm bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponds, Shamorie
1998 births
Living people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Bosnia and Herzegovina
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in Mexico
American men's basketball players
Astros de Jalisco players
Delaware Blue Coats players
Point guards
Raptors 905 players
OKK Spars players
Basketball players from Brooklyn
St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players
Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn) alumni
Toronto Raptors players
Undrafted National Basketball Association players