Shamorie Ponds knew about the possibilities before almost anybody else.
This was in May, when the Brooklyn native was still wrestling with his future, deciding whether to go pro or return to St. John’s. At his final NBA workout, a familiar face was going through the same process.
Mustapha Heron, a skilled wing out of Auburn by way of Waterbury, Conn., and Ponds had been in the same workout group with two other teams. They were friends, having played with and against one another on the AAU circuit and in local tournaments. By this time, Ponds, the Big East’s leading scorer a year ago, said he knew he was likely headed back to school. Heron shared a secret with him.
“I’m coming to St. John’s,” Ponds recalled Tuesday.
“I don’t know if he thought I was serious,” Heron said with a laugh when reminded of the conversation.
Fast-forward five months, and the two are sharing a court together again, as teammates with identical goals: To lead St. John’s back to the NCAA Tournament and refine their skills to prove worthy of playing at the next level. Already, NBA scouts are flocking to the Queens school.
“I feel like we both have a lot to prove,” Ponds said Tuesday at St. John’s media day. “We’re definitely going to show the world what they want to see.”
Three days ago, Heron was granted a legislative relief waiver by the NCAA, making him eligible this season and sending the Red Storm’s already high expectations skyrocketing. In the two southpaws, both named to preseason watch lists — Ponds for the Bob Cousy Award (point guard) and Heron for the Jerry West Award (shooting guard) — St. John’s has one of the premier duos in the country, at least on paper.
The leading scorer for co-SEC champion Auburn, the 6-foot-5 Heron averaged 16.4 points on 43.9 percent shooting and 5.3 rebounds. Ponds, the likely Big East preseason Player of the Year, tallied 21.6 points per game along with 4.7 assists, leading the Johnnies to a strong finish and upsets of Duke and eventual national champion Villanova.
“It’s going to be crazy,” senior forward Marvin Clark II said.
“They’re very different players, so their talents blend with each other,” coach Chris Mullin said. “They both have good team-type personalities.”
They know each other well. They won the famed Queens I.S. 8 league title as teammates and faced each other in the Tri-State Classic streetball title game. Ponds’ team won, on a putback at the buzzer Heron described as “a fluke.” Ponds grinned when asked about it. He hasn’t talked much trash about it — yet.
“It’s on video, though,” Ponds said with a smile.
They were both highly regarded prospects coming out of high school. Ponds was in Heron’s ear about coming to St. John’s with him, but he opted for Auburn instead. Three years later, they are reuniting in Queens.
“It’s funny how things come full circle,” Heron said. “It’s not going to be a hard transition [to play together] at all.”