Shamorie Ponds became the face of the St. John’s program, the local kid with his face plastered on buses and posters in his city. There wasn’t room for Jose Alvarado, who was passed over by St. John’s and left home for college.
Saturday, the two Brooklyn point guards will meet in the Hoophall Invitational in Miami as St. John’s faces Georgia Tech.
Ponds is looking to help St. John’s continue its undefeated start to the season. Alvarado is hoping to lead Georgia Tech to an upset that would resonate back home.
“I wish it was at St. John’s,” Alvarado said in a phone interview. “It’s cool to play against a team back home and show them what’s up.”
The two are very familiar with one another. They both grew up in Brooklyn and stayed home for high school. They last faced each other when Ponds was a senior at Thomas Jefferson and Alvarado was a junior at Christ the King, in February 2016. Behind 29 points from Ponds, Jefferson prevailed by three, but both played well.
“He’s small and quick. He can get up on you on the defensive end and can attack you,” Ponds, St. John’s leading scorer, said of the 6-foot Alvarado. “He’s a great point guard. It’s going to be a good matchup.”
The 6-foot-1 Ponds has the big name, as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year who was a big-time recruit and is expected to lead St. John’s back to the NCAA Tournament. Alvarado was far less heralded, and doesn’t have such high expectations to live up to. Georgia Tech (4-2) was picked to finish 13th in the ACC.
“Best man should win,” Alvarado said. “I feel like that’s going to be me and my team.”
Alvarado, who lived a few blocks from St. John’s while in high school, was having a stellar freshman season before a fractured left elbow cut short his year after 25 games. He has picked up where he left off, averaging team-highs of 13.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 45 percent from the field for the 4-2 Yellow Jackets.
St. John’s (6-0) recruited Alvarado and was interested in bringing him aboard before the backcourt became overcrowded with the addition of Arizona transfer Justin Simon. Alvarado wound up picking Georgia Tech over Rutgers and Seton Hall, part of coach Josh Pastner’s first recruiting class.
“I love where I’m at,” he said. “[St. John’s] recruited me and then they didn’t want me. It’s a business. I didn’t take it personal. I don’t have anything to prove to them. They know how good I am.”
Even so, Alvarado will play with an edge to him, high school coach Joe Arbitello believes. He was considered a St. John’s lean, before the school went in a different direction, not needing any more small guards. But more than that, the game will be a big deal back home.“He’ll be very motivated,” Arbitello said. “I think it’s just a chance for him to show New York what kind of player he is.”
St. John’s has some proving of its own to do. Despite a 6-0 record, the schedule has been soft, and will soon get even softer. Georgia Tech is the first top 100 team it will face so far — it is ranked 75 by KenPom.com, the analytics-based website — and the only challenge standing in the Red Storm’s way of an undefeated record entering the conference season. For a team breaking in several new pieces, consistency has so far eluded this talented group.
“The record is great,” Ponds said, “but I definitely think we have a lot of room to improve and we definitely can get better.”
Games of the Week
St. John’s vs. Georgia Tech in Hoophall Miami Invitational (Saturday, Noon)
The last roadblock in the way of St. John’s entering the Big East season undefeated, Georgia Tech was picked 13th in the ACC, but has the size and depth that could give the Johnnies problems.
Seton Hall vs. Louisville (Saturday, Noon)
Coach Kevin Willard’s brutal non-conference schedule rolls on against an old rival, former Xavier and current Louisville coach Chris Mack, as the Pirates look to build on the Wooden Legacy title they won last weekend in California.
Fordham at Manhattan (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
Freshman guard Nick Honor (team-high 18.5 ppg) has keyed a surprising 5-1 start for Fordham and will get his first taste of the “Battle of The Bronx” as Manhattan looks to right itself after a 27-point blowout loss at George Washington.
Local Power Poll
1. St. John’s
Record: 6-0
Up next: Saturday (Noon) vs. Georgia Tech in Miami
2. Seton Hall
Record: 4-2
Up next: Saturday (Noon) vs. Louisville
3. Rutgers
Record: 5-2
Up next: Monday (8 p.m.) at Wisconsin
4. Stony Brook
Record: 6-1
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) vs. Quinnipiac
5. Hofstra
Record: 4-3
Up next: Saturday (2 p.m.) at Kennesaw St.
6. NJIT
Record: 7-1
Up next: Saturday (2 p.m.) at UMass-Lowell
7. Iona
Record: 2-4
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) at VCU
8. LIU Brooklyn
Record: 4-4
Up next: Saturday, Dec. 8 (1 p.m.) at St. Peter’s
9. Fordham
Record: 5-1
Up next: Saturday (7 p.m.) at Manhattan
10. Army
Record: 3-5
Up next: Saturday (1 p.m.) vs. Fairfield