Newest Arizona recruit Joson Sanon racing to reclassify so he can join Wildcats next season

“I don’t really have that much time,” he said.

That might be understandable. Sanon not only finished up leading his Vermont Academy team to a New England prep title as a junior this season, but plans to spend the spring playing on the Adidas club-ball circuit and … also has a lot of schoolwork to do.

In an interview with the Star last month, Sanon said he intends to skip his senior season and graduate this summer in time to join the Wildcats for next season. Rated the No. 9 player overall in the class of 2025, and already at age 18, Sanon still may project as a five-star player in the class of 2024 if he reclassifies.

Sanon visited Arizona on Nov. 20, a day after his parents took in UA’s game with Texas-Arlington, according to his NIL agent, Derek Malloy. Sanon said he stayed patient with the recruiting process since then, considering UConn, Boston College, Kansas and Kentucky.

“I wasn’t really leaning toward anybody,” he said. “Just seeing where I could go and where I would fit.”

While Sanon didn’t catch the Wildcats’ win over Texas-Arlington, he said he’s learned about the style UA plays, and how he could be part of it. If he reclassifies, Sanon would be part of a four-player class of 2024, along with center Emmanuel Stephen, forward Carter Bryant and wing Jamari Phillips.

“I’m a three-level scorer,” Sanon said. “I’m getting better at off-ball things.”

Sanon said his game is similar to that of former UA standout wing Bennedict Mathurin, who also shares Haitian roots with him.

Mathurin is from Montreal, born to a mother who emigrated from Haiti. Sanon said his parents moved from Haiti and attended high school in the Boston area, and that he was born in Brockton, Mass, with a hometown of Fall River, Mass.

Sanon said he had a chance to play against Mathurin in a pick-up game in Southern California last summer but didn't get a chance to speak with him.

Bryant blocks three shots in McDonalds game

Bryant had a quiet offensive night but blocked three shots and picked up four rebounds over a 12-minute appearance in the McDonalds All-American Game on Tuesday in Houston.

Bryant was first player to sign with the Wildcats out of high school and make the roster for the prestigious all-star game since Tommy Lloyd became the Wildcats' coach in 2021.

He suited up for the West team in its 88-68 loss to the East, while also drawing praise from Yahoo for his defense during McDonalds' practices leading up to the game.

Bryant "passes the eye test at 6-7 and is a player who can get hot from 3-point range," Yahoo's Krysten Peek wrote. "It was what he did on defense that was most impressive during practices, challenging everyone at the rim and establishing position when shots went up."

During Tuesday's game, Bryant took only three shots and hit one of them while getting four defensive rebounds and dishing one assist with two turnovers.

Johnson enters dunk contest

Arizona’s Keshad Johnson is scheduled to be one of nine competitors in the King's Hawaiian Slam Dunk Championship on Thursday at Grand Canyon, along with others that include GCU’s Gabe McGlothan, UCSB’s Josh Pierre-Louis, and Iowa State’s Hason Ward.

The dunk contest and what are being called the "Hanes Original Soft Touch 3-Point Championships" for men and women will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at GCU's Global Credit Union Arena. The event will be televised on ESPN, while $15 general admission seats are available via collegeslam.com

New tourney announced

With the NIT already under threat, Fox announced a new postseason tournament called the "College Basketball Crown" that will include teams from the Big 12, Big Ten and Big East starting next season.

Teams that do not qualify for the NCAA tournament will be eligible for the College Basketball Crown, with two automatic qualifiers coming from each participating conference and additional teams chosen by a committee.

The event will be played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from Monday, March 31 to Sunday, April 6, 2025, and be shown on FOX and FS1.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, whose conference will include Arizona next season, said the league was "thrilled" to be part of the event.

“College basketball’s popularity is on the rise, and we look forward to being a part of another meaningful postseason moment for our student-athletes," Yormark said in a statement.

Several teams have opted out of NIT invitations this year, preferring to focus on the transfer portal.

Kriisa portaling again

The transfer portal is so busy that on Wednesday, Rivals published a list of “Top 5 who entered on April 2.”

Their second-ranked player to enter that day was Kerr Kriisa, the former UA point guard who transferred to West Virginia and is now seeking another new home. FAU’s Johnell Davis, who starred when the Owls beat Arizona on Dec. 23 in Las Vegas, was ranked first among April 2 departures.