A move that made him a star: Ex-PC great Shammgod featured in doc about NYC point guards
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The John doesn’t carry quite the same intrigue as The Shammgod.
That’s part of the allure — it sounds cool. Unique. Something to be discovered.
That’s the theory offered by God Shammgod, anyway. The former Providence point guard’s iconic dribbling move has been imitated by a host of NBA superstars over the past two decades, but there is only one man who created it. That’s the former McDonald’s All-American who helped lead the Friars to the Elite Eight in 1997 and eventually went on to a professional career in the NBA and overseas.
“All of that is organic,” Shammgod said Thursday. “Before the move I was already known as a dribbler — that kind of enhanced it.”
Former Friar great Shammgod getting his own sneaker
It’s only part of the 46-year-old's story. Some other chapters will be opened in "NYC Point Gods," a documentary that premiers Friday night at 9 p.m. on Showtime. Shammgod was part of a special generation of players who honed their games at the city’s parks and playgrounds, squaring off against one another throughout multiple boroughs for supremacy.
“If you didn’t have a point guard from New York you weren’t really in the game,” Shammgod said. “Grit, toughness, knowledge of the game, so much heart — that's what we had.”
Current Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman led the production through Boardroom, a subsidiary of Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures. Interviews include journalist and city native Stephen A. Smith, musical artists Fat Joe and Cam’Ron and a trio of celebrated college coaches — Jim Boeheim, Lou Carnesecca and Rick Pitino. Shammgod was approached by the production team about taking part and was thrilled to agree.
“I was honored to be asked,” Shammgod said. “Of course I was willing to do it.”
Shammgod played for two years with Providence before being selected in the second round of the NBA Draft. He eventually returned to the school as part of the coaching staff under Ed Cooley, serving in a player development role. Shammgod finished his degree at Providence and just wrapped up his third season in a similar staff role with the Dallas Mavericks.
“It was the right time,” Shammgod said. “I was making the transition. Ed Cooley was there and he welcomed me with open arms because he’s such a great family person.”
Shammgod’s signature skill works like an optical illusion against an opposing defender. A player dribbles the ball into what feels like a neutral space between two bodies, snatches it back with the opposite hand and is on his way to daylight. HoopsTube posted a montage that garnered more than 5.7 million views on YouTube — Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Tracy McGrady and Manu Ginobili are among those shown leaving their foes grasping at thin air.
“My father gave me a unique name,” Shammgod said. “I try to live up to my name and my family. How I played kind of coincided with my name.”
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Shammgod has some sort of connection with each of the principal parties in the documentary. He was the Catholic schools player of the year in New York as a high school senior — Stephon Marbury took the honor among the public schools. Shammgod played with Rafer Alston and Rod Strickland, looked up to Kenny Anderson and Pearl Washington, was trained by Mark Jackson and Kenny Smith — their world in the big city was ultimately a pretty small one.
“If you look at the way point guards play now, that’s how we played back then,” Shammgod said. “It wasn’t accepted as much as now. That’s why we’re still relevant in this modern era.”
Shammgod doesn’t have many free nights during the season, but he found the time to watch his alma mater enjoy a special 2021-22 season. The Friars captured their first regular season Big East title and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Providence narrowly missed an upset of eventual champion Kansas in a showdown at the United Center in Chicago.
“(Cooley) took a team that people didn’t think was going to be how it was, and he almost got to the Elite Eight,” Shammgod said. “The future is still bright. He’s got a lot more in the tank to come.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence College basketball player God Shammgod featured in doc
