Arizona State loses big-time player to transfer portal: Report
The hits just keep on coming for the Arizona State men's basketball program.
After finishing 13-19 — their fourth losing season in the last five years — the Sun Devils are reportedly going to lose at least one big-time player to the transfer portal: 5-star freshman shooting guard Joson Sanon. ESPN's Jeff Borzello first reported the news.
Sanon, who made it clear when he committed to ASU that he wanted to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, struggled with an ankle injury most of the season and didn't have the kind of showcase season he anticipated.
At 6-foot-5, Sanon is built like a prototypical NBA shooting guard. ASU head coach Bobby Hurley called him "the best shooter" he's ever coached earlier this season. But after a hot start that saw him among the nation's leaders in 3-point field goal percentage, Sanon cooled way off after spraining his ankle against BYU on New Year's eve.
Sanon played in 27 of Arizona State's 32 games and averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game. He shot 36.9% from the 3-point line and 42.2% from the field. At one point in late December, he was shooting over 50% from the 3-point line.
Sanon will command big money
One of the top high school recruits in the class of 2024, Sanon initially committed to Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats beat Oregon on Sunday and are headed to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
When Caleb Love announced he was returning to Arizona for a fifth season of college basketball, Sanon flipped his commitment to Arizona State.
Sanon is expected to command in the ballpark of $1 million in the transfer portal. The House vs. NCAA settlement will allow members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference and Southeastern Conference to pay players directly next season, outside of any NIL opportunities.
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-66e6aeb5014b4c4eeac84ca997f034c9.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.