Houston Cougars star Marcus Sasser on returning to team: 'We got unfinished business'
The junior point guard had until midnight Wednesday to decide whether he would stay in the NBA Draft.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Marcus Sasser's absence throughout the Houston Cougars' Elite Eight run was well-documented throughout the NCAA tournament this past spring.
So, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to imagine whether Sasser, as well as fellow star Tramon Mark, being on that tournament team would have pushed the Coogs to a deeper run and possibly a national championship.
Well, Coogs fans, you'll get to find out beginning this fall.
Sasser, a marquee player for the Houston men's basketball program, announced his intention to return to the Cougars, effectively putting his NBA dream on hold for now.
In announcing his move, the 6-foot 2-inch junior guard posted to Instagram a video of one of his game highlights from the past season, with the caption "Houston, we got unfinished business."
In April, Sasser declared eligibility for the NBA Draft, but left the door open for a return to UH for his senior year. Just a week prior, Sasser posted photos of himself at the NBA Draft Combine.
Sasser and many other prospects on the fence had until a midnight deadline to return to the collegiate level or go forward with the draft.
Before the announcement, ESPN ranked Sasser as the 14th best point guard and 70th best player available in this year's NBA Draft pool.
Sasser was lost for the season last December due to a toe injury. That news came just days after Tramon Mark revealed he would need to miss the rest of the 2021-2022 season after shoulder surgery.
But the rest of coach Kelvin Sampson's squad valiantly picked up the slack in their absence, going 18-3 en route to American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships.
Then, the Coogs, as a five-seed, defeated UAB, Illinois, and top-seed Arizona, before losing to Villanova and just missing a second straight Final Four berth.
So what contributed to his return? According to Sasser, it's definitely hard to ignore the prospect of winning a title in Houston, which will host the NCAA Final Four next year.
