St. John’s signee Shamorie Ponds leads a contingent of five New York players invited to the 2016 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp June 14-17 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The 6-foot-1 Ponds, a 2,000-point scorer who played for head coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard at Jefferson, guided the Orange Wave to its first PSAL championship since 1954. He collected co-MVP honors after exploding for 31 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the title game against Abraham Lincoln on March 12 at Madison Square Garden.
One week later, Ponds helped lift the Orange Wave to the New York State Class AA Federation title. In a semifinal victory over Long Island Lutheran, he scored 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. Ponds added 16 points and seven rebounds in the championship game against Aquinas.
Joining Ponds are New York City natives Mohamed Bamba, an uncommitted 7-footer who runs with the PSA Cardinals AAU team and plays for the Westtown (Pa.) School; 6-6 guard Hamidou Diallo of the NY Rens and Putnam Science Academy (CT); and 6-7 wing Jordan Tucker of the NY Rens and White Plains (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac. The fifth New Yorker on the roster is Maryland signee Kevin Huerter (Shenendehowa Central H.S./Clifton Park, N.Y.).
The 26 athletes hail from 16 states, with New York leading the way with five athletes on the roster. Texas is represented by three.
“The committee has invited a tremendously talented group to compete for one of the 12 spots on the USA U18 team,” said Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse coach and USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee chair. “I expect that competition for those spots to be fierce. The final roster will definitely be capable of defending the gold medal the USA U18 team won the last time out.
Training camp to determine finalists for the USA U18 National Team will take place June 14-18 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Training camp will resume July 11-15 in Houston, and the final 12-member team will be announced prior to the team departing for Chile.
Led by Texas head coach Shaka Smart and assisted by Kevin Ollie from UConn and Mark Turgeon from Maryland, the USA U18 team will compete in the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship July 19-23 in Valdivia, Chile. Not only is a gold medal at stake, the top four finishing teams will earn a qualifying berth in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship.
Also accepting invitations to participate in the 2016 USA U18 National Team training camp were: Arizona commit Terrance Ferguson (Advanced Prep International/Dallas, Texas); Jarrett Allen (St. Stephen’s Episcopal School/Round Rock, Texas); James Banks (La Lumiere School, Ind./Decatur, Ga.); Brian Bowen II (La Lumiere School, Ind./Saginaw, Mich.); Matt Coleman (Oak Hill Academy/Norfolk, Va.); Javin DeLaurier (St.Anne’s-Belfield School/Shipman, Va.); Jalek Felton (Mullins H.S./Mullins, S.C.); Markelle Fultz (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Upper Marlboro, Md.); Ferguson; Quade Green (Newmann-Goretti H.S./Philadelphia, Pa.); Darren “D.J.” Harvey (DeMatha H.S./Bowie, Md.); Brandon McCoy (Cathedral Catholic H.S./Sacramento, Calif.); David Nickelberry (Windermere Prep/Orlando, Fla.); John Petty (J.O. Johnson H.S./Huntsville, Ala.); Michael Porter Jr. (Father Tolton Catholic H.S./Columbia, Mo.); Mitchell Robinson (Chalmette H.S./New Orleans, La.); Jeremiah Tilmon II (La Lumiere School, Ind./East St. Louis, Ill.); Lonnie Walker (Reading H.S./Reading, Pa.); M.J. Walker (Jonesboro H.S./College Park, Ga.); Paul ‘P.J.’ Washington (Findlay Prep, Nev./Frisco, Texas); Kris Wilkes (North Central H.S./Indianapolis, Ind.); Cassius Winston (University of Detroit Jesuit H.S./Detroit, Mich.); and Trae Young (Norman North H.S./Norman, Okla.).
Seventeen players rank among ESPN’s Class of 2017 Top 60, including: Porter at No. 3, Bamba at No. 4, M.J. Walker at No. 8, McCoy at No. 9, Petty at No. 10, Diallo at No. 14, Harvey at No. 17, Washington at No. 19, Young at No. 20, Coleman at No. 21, Lonnie Walker at No. 23, Felton at No. 24, Bowen at No. 26, Wilkes at No. 27, Timon at No. 28, Green at No. 40, and Robinson at No. 45.
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