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Houston Basketball: 3 things that Marcus Sasser should focus on in 2021-22

By Caleb Hightower

Jan 31, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Basketball (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Houston Basketball (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Houston Basketball’s magical 2020-21 season was one for the ages, as they managed to dominate their competition in the AAC during the regular season (they finished with a 14-3 conference record), win 3 games in 3 days to capture the AAC Tournament crown and knock off four opponents in the NCAA Tournament to reach their first Final Four since 1984.

What made Houston such a great team? Well, besides the fact that the Cougars made Kelvin Sampson one of the happiest coaches in the country by only allowing 58.2 points per game and averaging 14.47 offensive rebounds per game, the Cougars had various options that they could turn to on the offensive end. After Houston’s 4th leading scorer, Caleb Mills transferred to Florida State on January 3rd, the Cougars were still left with three guards that could score in double-figures on a consistent basis.

Those three guards included Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, and DeJon Jarreau, who all averaged more than 10 points per game (Grimes averaged 17.8, Sasser averaged 13.7, and Jarreau averaged 10.8). Each of those guards also finished with at least one 20+ point performance, with Grimes and Sasser putting up 20+ points on numerous occasions (Grimes scored 20 or more points 12 times and Sasser scored 20 or more points 5 times).

However, Grimes and Jarreau elected to move on the next level after the 2020-21 season concluded, while Sasser decided to test the NBA waters and ultimately return to Houston for his junior season. Kelvin Sampson was able to bring in Texas Tech transfer, Kyler Edwards, and Cal State Bakersfield transfer, Taze Moore, but there is no doubt that Sasser will need to take his game to the next level in 2021-22 if Houston wants to have another special season. In this article, I want to look at 3 things that Sasser should focus on during his junior campaign.