Sasser flirted with the possibility of going pro last year before ultimately electing to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft. After missing most of last season with an injury, he wanted the chance to make one last deep run in March Madness. Sasser has also credited the brotherhood with his teammates as a factor that brought him back to UH, noting there's a closeness in college basketball that is rarely replicated in the NBA.
Moments after Friday's crushing 85-69 loss, the American Athletic Conference player of the year says he'd do it all over again if given the chance.
"We came up short, but the time we got to spend throughout these months, I couldn't ask for nothing better. Just coming back to this program, [the] coaching staff, it was just amazing," Sasser said. "I'll pick that choice 10 out of 10 every time. It was a great run."
The Cougars came up short of the ultimate goal of a national title, which could have been clinched in front of a hometown crowd a week from Monday at Houston's NRG Stadium. But there are far more ways to measure the success of a program, and the impact of its leading player.
Fellow senior Reggie Chaney says Sasser's decision to come back this season illustrates what he's meant to the Cougars—both in the on-court success of a team that returned to the top of the polls for the first time in 39 years while matching the most wins in program history, as well as the culture that's been instilled and will live on in future years.
"It just goes to how much he loves this program and his maturity," Chaney said. "To be completely honest, if Marcus didn't come back, I don't know if we'd have had the season we had ... he had such a big impact on this team and this culture."
Junior forward J'Wan Roberts views Sasser's choice to return as emblematic of the brotherhood the All-American guard often spoke about during his time with the Cougars. Roberts then confirmed he will be returning to UH himself next season, adding, "If I could be here for 20, 30 years, I would."
"[Sasser] definitely could have left, but he came back. He wanted to win a championship with his brothers before he goes to the NBA Draft," Roberts said. "Apparently, we came up short, but I have a lot of respect for him for making that decision knowing he could have left. That's my dude, and I'm going to miss him a lot."
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Not long after transferring from Arkansas prior to the 2020-21 season, Chaney recognized that Sasser was emerging as Houston's top player. But perhaps equally impressive was the work ethic Chaney witnessed from Sasser on a daily basis, something Chaney says permeated throughout the team.
"Ever since I came in from Day 1, he's been the hardest worker and he's the best player, and I think that's why he has such a big impact on the culture, because we all want to fall behind that," Chaney said. "That's your best player and he works the hardest, so it has everybody else doing it as well."
Sasser finishes his UH career as the school's all-time leader in made three-pointers, while serving as the Cougars' first first-team All-American since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. Sasser also matched Fabian White's record for the most wins ever by a player at the Fertitta Center on senior night earlier this month, with Houston going 116-22 during his four years with the program.
At 6-foot-2 and turning 23 before the next NBA season gets underway, Sasser will have size and age working against him throughout the pre-draft process. He's currently projected as a fringe first-round prospect, and it wouldn't be a total shock if he were to fall outside the top 30 picks, despite a prolific college career. Though considering intangibles and effort, Chaney can easily see his teammate playing a decade-plus in the NBA.
"[Sasser] just does other things to make you think he is [a] top-20 [prospect]. He plays defense and he hustles, and a lot of top picks don't really do all that," Chaney said. "They want to be finesse. He's a hard worker."
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