Shamorie Ponds’ college career is coming to a close.
The St. John’s junior will declare for the NBA draft and sign with an agent, he announced Thursday.
“Playing for St. John’s has been nothing less than amazing for me. To RedStorm Nation, I thank y’all each & every night for giving me the confidence to be myself and accept me for who I am thru my highs & lows,” Ponds wrote on Instagram. “With that being said, coming to St John’s was one of the best decisions of my life. After speaking it over with my loved ones, I want to announce that I WILL BE ENTERING THE 2019 NBA DRAFT & hiring an agent.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvk0sT3lOT1/
The 6-foot-1 Brooklyn native averaged 19.7 points this past season, shooting 45.3 percent overall and 35.3 percent from 3-point range. His scoring and playmaking helped the Red Storm make their first NCAA tournament in four years under coach Chris Mullin, albeit a First Four loss to Arizona State. Ponds projects as a a late-first, early-second round pick heading into the early predraft process.
His departure surely isn’t overly surprising, but it does underscore the fact it could be an uphill climb for St. John’s next season. Even with the tourney bid, it’s hard to see how Mullin won’t be under considerable pressure to show positive momentum after barely getting into the Big Dance. Now he’ll have to do it without his best player of the last two years.