Sasser withdraws from NBA Draft: 'Houston, we got unfinished business'

The University of Houston (UH) Cougars men's basketball team received some welcome news on Wednesday (June 1) in the form of guard Marcus Sasser's return to the program for the 2022-2023 season. 

Sasser, who hails from Dallas, kept Cougars fans in suspense when his purported 8 p.m. deadline for deciding the next step in his athletic career came to pass without a word from him. 

"Houston, we got unfinished business," the senior-to-be then tweeted some 20 minutes later, indicating that he pulled out of this month's National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, which is slated for June 23.

According to a team-issued press release, a foot operation forced Sasser to miss the Cougars' final 26 games last year.

He's part of a trio of returning starters from a 2021-2022 squad that compiled a 32-6 record and earned a second consecutive Elite Eight berth, the release said.

Until his season-ending injury, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Sasser averaged nearly 18 points as UH's leading scorer, per his profile on the team's website.

He was the first Cougar since Rob Gray tallied four 20-plus point games in a row, according to the program.

His sophomore year saw him and UH head to the Final Four for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama era three decades ago.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that Sasser, who is a health major, declared his eligibility for the draft in April.

He recently appeared at the NBA Draft Combine, the station reported.

Aside from Sasser's absence, UH also had to experience life without sophomore Tramon Mark, who was recruited out of nearby Dickinson High School.

A shoulder injury ended Mark's season, according to KTRK.