Sasser finished his college career as the Cougars’ leading three-point shooter with 276 career triples. | Anh Le/The Cougar
Houston guard Marcus Sasser was the second Cougar to be drafted during Thursday night’s NBA Draft, going 25th overall to the Detroit Pistons via trade with the Boston Celtics.
Sasser enters the NBA as one of the most decorated Cougars in recent history, having spent four years with the program and helping lead UH to a Final Four appearance in 2021 and six weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation in 2022-23.
A Dallas native, Sasser joined UH in 2019, playing in 30 and starting the final 15 games of the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign as a freshman, averaging 8.1 points per game.
In 2020-21, Sasser took a leap, finishing second on the team with 13.7 points a game in 29 games, including a game-leading 20 points and five three-pointers in the Cougars’ Elite Eight win over Oregon State, clinching UH’s first Final Four berth since 1984.
After an injury-shortened junior campaign, Sasser enjoyed his best season in 2022-23, averaging a team-leading 16.8 points per game with 38.3% three-point shooting, finishing the season as a First Team All-American and a Naismith Player of the Year Award finalist.
Sasser also won the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award and was voted as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
The star guard engineered Houston’s offense on the way to a 33-4 season and the team’s fourth straight appearance in the Sweet 16. Sasser broke the school record for career three-pointers made with 276 and is tied with Fabian White Jr. for the most career wins in the Fertitta Center.
With Sasser and Jarace Walker being selected, it marks the first time that two Cougars have been selected in the first round since 1984 when Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Young went first and 14th overall.
