St. John's transfer Joson Sanon declares for NBA draft — but plans to stay with team next season
Don't worry, Joson Sanon is not going anywhere.
Sanon, 19, officially declared for the 2025 NBA Draft on Saturday, but plans to stay with St. John's for next season, according to The Post's Zach Brazillier.
The Massachusetts native plans to go through the draft process to receive some feedback from NBA scouts before playing his freshman season with the Johnnies.
3 Joson Sanon celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Arizona's State's loss to Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament on March 11, 2025.
AP
NBA prospects are allowed to enter the draft while also maintaining eligibility, but they have to do so without an agent representing them.
Sanon was Rick Pitino's first major acquisition from the transfer portal in March, landing the guard just days following St. John's season-ending loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
'It wasn't too hard of a decision to make,' he told The Post in March during a phone interview. 'The thing that stands out is hard work. [Pitino] actually pushes you to word hard. I want to show him I'm the hardest-working player he's ever coached.'
'I just feel like it's a great spot for me,' he later added. 'They [need shooting help] and I feel like I'm a good shooter, and a good scorer in general.'
3 Arizona State guard Joson Sanon drives on L.J. Cryer during the second half of Arizona State's loss to Houston on Feb. 18, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz.
AP
The former top 25 prospect originally enrolled at Arizona State in July 2024, averaging 11.9 points while shooting 42 percent during his freshman campaign for the Sun Devils.
Though originally unsuccessful, St. John's did recruit Sanon out of high school, inviting him to an unofficial visit in March 2024.
3 Head coach Rick Pitino works the sidelines during St. John's NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Sanon believes that Pitino will assist him in unlocking his full potential as well.
'Just the opportunity to play for him made a lot of sense,' Sanon said. 'He just said he's not going to bulls–t me, he's going to push me through some of the stuff I don't do very well. He's going to push me to work hard. He said he believes in me, my potential, and what he could do for me.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Guerschon Yabusele explains what he's looking for in free agency
Guerschon Yabusele explains what he's looking for in free agency The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves a steal in the form of Guerschon Yabusele. Out of the league for five years, Yabusele put on a show in the 2024 Olympics while playing for his native France and put himself on the NBA radar for his next opportunity. The Sixers swooped in and signed him to a 1-year deal worth only $2.1 million. The Dancing Bear then put on an impressive performance as he averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 38% from deep. Yabusele averaged 27.1 minutes per night playing in 70 games with 43 starts playing both the power forward and the center spots with so many injuries. When it comes to free agency, Yabusele will demand a big market. The Sixers want him to return, but one has to wonder if they will have the cap space to do so. In a sit down interview with HoopsHype, Yabusele discussed what he's looking for in free agency: Now that I've been on the team where I played and a lot of minutes too, I want to be in a situation where I can play too. I'm not asking to play 40 minutes a game. That would be crazy. But just to be in the right situation for me, for the team, having a goal that we can achieve and have a bunch of guys looking to the right direction. And if it's with the 76ers, I'll be more than happy. This has been a great, great season and time for me. the fans have been showing me nothing but love, even the organization. If I have to go back there, I'd be more than happy. And then if you've got to be somewhere else, I'd be happy, too. I just want to be on a team where we compete and we have the same goals. Yabusele is going to be a coveted player when free agency begins on June 30. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens with him and his future, but one has to believe that Philadelphia will find a way to clear some cap space to bring him back. The Sixers have some easily tradeable contracts to clear the way to bring back both Yabusele and Quentin Grimes.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Alabama picks up transfer portal commitment from in-state foe
Alabama picks up transfer portal commitment from in-state foe Alabama baseball picked up its fourth offseason commitment from the transfer portal on Monday. Former South Alabama infielder Brennan Holt, who spent a year at LSU and a year at Oklahoma State, announced his decision to transfer to the Crimson Tide in a post to social media. Holt joins pitchers Matthew Tippie (Texas State) and Kaden Humphrey (North Florida) and infielder Justin Osterhouse (Purdue-Fort Wayne) as players Alabama has added via the portal since its season ended with a 6-5 loss to Southern Miss at the Hattiesburg Regional of the NCAA Tournament on May 31. A product of Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge, Holt spent the past two seasons at South Alabama after committing to LSU in 2020. He was rated the No. 5 overall recruit in Louisiana by Perfect Game coming out of high school. Holt spent one season with the Tigers in 2022 and appeared in five games before obtaining a medical redshirt due to injury and transferring to Oklahoma State for his sophomore season in 2023. He played in 34 games for the Cowboys and batted .173 (11-for-52). As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, Holt started all 56 games for South Alabama and batted .266 with three home runs, 15 doubles and 24 RBIs. His average rose to .303 as a junior this past season, clubbing six home runs to go with 14 doubles. Holt primarily played second base and was the Jags' leadoff hitter. He stole 29 bases over two seasons with South Alabama, which finished 23-28 overall in the Sun Belt conference this year. Alabama capped the 2025 season at 41-18 overall and were 16-14 in SEC play during the regular season in coach Rob Vaughn's second year in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide's 40 victories in the regular season marked the first time since 2002 that Alabama had posted 40 or more wins in a regular season. Alabama was the No. 2 seed at the Hattiesburg Regional and was ranked No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll entering the NCAA Tournament. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut
"The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut originally appeared on Basketball Network. In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton arrived at the PayCom Center with a pair of his just-revealed Puma signature shoes in hand. He wore the shoe during the contest and placed his game-worn Hali 1's on the table during the postgame interview. Advertisement The Hali 1 is Haliburton's first signature shoe with Puma. The 6'5" playmaker signed with the German brand last October on a deal that included his very own line, and just eight months later, it's a reality. But while the shoe looked dope, what made its on-court debut stunning was its owner's heroics. The two-time All-NBA third-team selectee hit the game-winning shot in last Thursday's Game 1. With his Pacers down 109-110 in the final seconds, Hali hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give Indiana the victory and a 1-0 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals. Former Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Jeff Teague said the Hali 1 couldn't have had a better introduction, as he compared it to the most memorable shoe reveal of all time — that of Michael Jordan. Advertisement "That might be the most classic…That might be the greatest debut of a shoe since Mike when Mike did it with the 14s. That is hard. Game 1, Hali 1 dropped. The Hali 1 in Game 1. That's tough. That's a nice bing to it," said Teague. MJ hit "The Last Shot" with the 14s Designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield, the Air Jordan 14 is perhaps the most memorable silhouette among Michael's shoes. It was the last shoe MJ wore as a member of the Chicago Bulls. It was also the first Jordan shoe released after his second retirement in 1998. According to Nike's website, Hatfield gave Jordan a prototype of the 14s during the 1998 NBA Finals but told the Bulls superstar not to wear it in public because its release date was scheduled for later that year. However, because Mike loved the look and the fit, he modeled the prototype during the NBA Finals. Advertisement MJ wore three different Jordan silhouettes during the 1998 NBA Finals. But the 14s stand out because they were the shoes he wore in Game 6, where he hit the shot that clinched the Bulls' sixth NBA championship in eight years. That iconic piece of footwear was released worldwide in October 1998. Related: Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" Must be the shoes Haliburton was mostly underwhelming in Game 1, finishing with just 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-7 from deep and an uncharacteristic three turnovers. But when it mattered most, he flipped the switch — channeling his inner "Black Cat" impersonation to bury the game-winner with just 0.3 seconds remaining. Advertisement During the postgame interview, Haliburton shouted out his shoe, saying it was his "secret sauce" for Game 1. Later, he tweeted, "It's gotta be the shoooeeesss," which was an ode to arguably the most popular slogan for the Air Jordan commercials. No matter what the future holds for the Hali 1s, their place in sneaker history is already cemented thanks to an all-time origin story. Sure, some will point to the Jordan 14s — but MJ had already worn those twice before hitting "The Last Shot." Haliburton laced up his Hali 1s for the very first time last Thursday and instantly made history. Overrate that! Related: "I always go back to the UNLV Rebels of the early 90s" - Dan Patrick thinks that the Thunder have been so dominant that they don't know how to play one-possession games This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
