High School

7-Foot Basketball 4-Star Reveals His Top 7 Schools

The nation's No. 69 ranked player, No. 7 center, and the No. 3 overall player in the state of Virginia has narrowed his college choices

Ross Van De Griek

Marcis Ponder, a four-star center from Virginia's Gillion Academy, has announced his top seven schools.
Marcis Ponder, a four-star center from Virginia's Gillion Academy, has announced his top seven schools. / Damari Reid

Four-star senior basketball center Marcis Ponder announced on Tuesday evening that he has narrowed down his list of schools down to seven.

Moving forward, the 7-foot center out of Gillion Basketball Academy in Virginia will shift his focus on the following schools in no particular order; Cincinnati, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Miami, Providence and Texas.

Ponder is a native of Miami, Florida and played his freshman season at Miami Norland before spending his sophomore year with Overtime Elite. He followed that by playing this past season at West Oaks Academy in Orlando, part of the Grind Session circuit. He has now transitioned into playing the upcoming senior season at Gillion Academy in Springfield, Virginia.

Out of the seven finalists, Ponder has taken just one official visit, and that was to Providence back in March where he stated, "It was a great experience. I was able to catch senior night, and Friar Nation was electric. They play in the Big East, where there have been guys like me.  I appreciate how Coach (English) and his staff were able to show me how my game would fit in their offense and defense," Ponder told On3's Joe Tipton.

“Overall, I don’t currently have any confirmed dates for any visits, but we will have those soon. I plan to commit sometime in the fall before the season," Ponder added to On3.

In 32 games played during his junior season with West Oaks Academy, Ponder averaged 9.8 points and 9.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game

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Ross Van De Griek
ROSS VAN DE GRIEK

Ross Van De Griek has been a high school sports writer covering the state of Florida since 2021. Ross also has been scouting high school basketball and Grassroots Basketball across the Southeast Region since 2022. Ross has been covering basketball and recruiting for High School on SI since August 2024. He has collaborated with Next Up Sports, Prep Hoops, and On The Radar Hoops throughout his scouting career. You can follow him on X @rossvdg14 or reach him via email rossvdg14@gmail.com for story ideas.

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