Joson Sanon, a Fall River native and a star at Vermont Academy, has committed to play basketball at Arizona this fall after reclassifying into the class of 2024.
Sanon, ranked by ESPN as the No. 9 recruit in the class of 2025, helped Vermont Academy claim the NEPSAC AAA championship on March 3.
“I felt like I’d accomplished most of my goals,” Sanon said, “and I feel like I’m ready.”
The 6-foot-5 wing played one season at Durfee High School before enrolling at Vermont Academy. The son of two Haitian immigrants, Sanon knows how unlikely it is for a kid from Fall River to reach the highest levels of basketball.
“It means a lot, because not a lot of people from out there really make it out,” Sanon said. “I’ve just got to stay focused, stay on the right path.”
His most notable predecessor on that path, Fall River legend Chris Herren, had a little part to play in Sanon’s commitment. Herren took part in Sanon’s commitment video, released on Wednesday, narrating the story of Sanon’s rise from an immigrant family in Fall River to a Division 1 commitment and dreams of NBA stardom.
“[Herren]’s just a regular guy out of Fall River, just like me,” said Sanon, who’d gotten to know the former Celtic over the years. “He’s really cool.”
Sanon’s decision came down to the wire this week as he chose between Arizona and a couple of local schools, with UConn and Boston College in the mix — eventually, the desire to get out West and lock in on basketball, as he’d done in transferring from Durfee to Vermont Academy, helped drive that decision.
“Something just told me that I needed to go there,” Sanon said. “I’ll feel good over there.”
Sanon is considered one of the best wing scorers in his class, and ESPN’s latest 2025 mock draft has him projected as a potential first-rounder.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.