NEW YORK – St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds has been chosen 2018-19 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Providence guard David Duke and Villanova guard Jahvon Quinerly have been named co-winners of the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year award. The coaches, who were not permitted to place their own players on their ballots, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, an All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
Ponds, a 6-1 junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., led the BIG EAST in scoring in all games last season with a 21.6 average and ranked second in steals with a 2.3 mark. He ranked fourth in free throw shooting at 85.7 percent and fifth in assists with a 4.7 average. Ponds set his school’s sophomore scoring record with 647 points and recorded six 30-point games. He is the only returning member of last year’s All-BIG EAST First Team. Ponds is the first St. John’s player to win BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year honors since Malik Sealy shared the award with Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning in 1991-92.
Duke and Quinerly are considered two of the top high school guard prospects in the nation. The 6-5 Duke, a local product of Providence, R.I., averaged 17 points, five rebounds and four assists as a senior at Cushing Academy (Mass.). As a junior, he led Cushing to the AA New England Prep Championship. The 6-1 Quinerly, a native of Hackensack, N.J., averaged 18.5 points and 5.8 assists as a senior at Hudson Catholic and earned an invitation to the McDonald’s All-Star Game.
The five-player 2018-19 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes four unanimous selections: Butler guard Kamar Baldwin, Georgetown center Jessie Govan, Marquette guard Markus Howard and Villanova forward Eric Paschall. Providence guard Alpha Diallo also earned first team honors. Govan and Paschall are seniors while Baldwin, Howard and Diallo are juniors.
Baldwin, a 6-1 guard, was second in scoring for Butler last season with a 15.7 average. An all-around performer who is an outstanding defender, he also averaged 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals. He was even more productive in BIG EAST play, averaging 16.6 points and 5.2 boards. Baldwin also was a BIG EAST All-Tournament Team pick. His two-year point total of 893 is the fourth highest in school history.
Govan is the only returning BIG EAST player to average a double-double last season. The 6-10 senior center ranked eighth in the league with a 17.9 scoring average and second in rebounding with a 10.0 mark. He shot 50.8 percent from the field.
Howard, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last year, has been one of the nation’s top shooters in his first two seasons at Marquette. The 5-11 junior was fifth in the league in scoring last season with a 20.4 average and shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range. He was second nationally in free throw shooting, making 93.8 percent.
Diallo, a 6-7 junior, broke out last season as an elite player for Providence. The versatile guard averaged 13.2 points and pulled down 5.8 rebounds. He also plays superb defense. In the BIG EAST Tournament, Diallo averaged 19.3 points and 8.3 rebounds and made the All-Tournament Team.
Paschall averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds for the national champion Wildcats. The 6-8, 255-pound forward shot 53.3 percent from the field. Paschall enjoyed an outstanding NCAA Tournament, making the East Region Team and the Final Four All-Tournament Team. He scored 24 points in the national semifinal win against Kansas.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team is also a collection of juniors and seniors. The seniors are Max Strus of DePaul and Phil Booth of Villanova. The juniors are Sam Hauser of Marquette, Justin Simon of St. John’s and Myles Powell of Seton Hall.
Strus, a 6-6 senior, was 11th in the BIG EAST and tops on the Blue Demons in scoring last season with a 16.8 average, which included 81 3-pointers. He averaged 5.6 rebounds.
Booth has been a rock steady guard for Villanova. He averaged 10.0 points last season and dealt 95 assists while committing only 45 turnovers. Booth also is an expert defender.
Hauser is one of the BIG EAST’s most productive all-around players. The 6-8 junior averaged 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and ranked third in the nation in 3-point shooting, making 48.7 percent.
Simon is another all-around contributor, helping St. John’s in every area. The junior averaged 12.2 points and his 7.1 rebounding mark ranked fifth in the BIG EAST. He led the league in steals with a 2.5 average.
Seton Hall’s Powell is a top-of-the-line shooter. The junior won BIG EAST Most Improved Player honors last year after averaging 15.5 points. He connected on 94 3-pointers and shot 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention includes a pair of forwards, Creighton junior Martin Krampelj and Xavier sophomore Naji Marshall. The 6-9 Krampelj averaged 11.9 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds. The 6-7 Marshall averaged 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and showed a strong defensive game.
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s, G, Jr., 6-1, 175, Brooklyn, N.Y.
BIG EAST Preseason Freshmen of the Year
David Duke, Providence, G, Fr., 6-5, 198, Providence, R.I.
Jahvon Quinerly, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 175, Hackensack, N.J.
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Kamar Baldwin, Butler, G, Jr., 6-1, 195, Winder, Ga.*
Jessie Govan, Georgetown, C, Sr., 6-10, 255, Queens Village, N.Y.*
Markus Howard, Marquette, G, Jr., 5-11, 175, Chandler, Ariz.*
Alpha Diallo, Providence, G, Jr., 6-7, 211, New York, N.Y.
Eric Paschall, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-8, 225, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.*
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Max Strus, DePaul, F, Sr., 6-6, 215, Hickory Hills, Ill.
Sam Hauser, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-8, 225, Stevens Point, Wis.
Justin Simon, St. John’s, G, Jr., 6-5, 215, Temcula, Calif.
Myles Powell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-2, 195, Trenton, N.J.
Phil Booth, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-3, 194, Baltimore, Md.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Martin Krampelj, Creighton, F, Jr., 6-9, 235, Grosuplje, Slovenia
Naji Marshall, Xavier, F, So., 6-7, 222, Atlantic City, N.J.
*Unanimous selection