Marcus Sasser Named to Wooden Award Late Season Watch List

HOUSTON – University of Houston senior guard Marcus Sasser was named one of 20 student-athletes to the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 Watch List on Monday evening.

Sasser entered the 2022-23 season as a Preseason All-American and has lived up to those expectations, leading the Cougars to a 20-2 overall record with an 8-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference and a place in the Top Three of both national polls for 13 consecutive weeks.

Sasser and the student-athletes on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award National Ballot.

The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.

Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games.

The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.

ABOUT MARCUS SASSER
Sasser has been a leader for the Cougars throughout the 2022-23 season on both ends of the floor.

The Dallas native leads the Cougars and ranks seventh in The American with 16.2 points per game and has drained a team-high 58 3-pointers this season, including a season-high seven treys in a road win at Tulane on Jan. 17.

He has posted five 20-point games this season, including a career-best 31 points against South Florida on Jan. 11, with a team-high 18 double-digit performances.

However, Sasser does far more than shoot and score for the Cougars. He leads Houston and ranks sixth in the league with 1.8 steals per game and ranks second among the Cougars and among The American's Top-12 leaders with 3.2 assists per contest and a 2.156 assist-turnover ratio.

He became the 50^th 1,000-point scorer in Houston history earlier this season and stands among the Cougars' Top-30 career scoring leaders with 1,211 points to date.

Sasser also ranks fourth in Houston career history with 238 3-pointers and needs only 24 more treys to set the school record in that category.

JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD LATE SEASON TOP 20 WATCH LIST

Player	School	Conference	Ht.	Cl.	Pos.
Marcus Sasser	Houston	American Athletic	6-2	Senior	Guard
Armando Bacot	North Carolina	ACC	611	Senior	Forward/Center
Antoine Davis	Detroit Mercy	Horizon	6-1	Senior	Guard
Kendric Davis	Memphis	American Athletic	6-0	Senior	Guard
Zach Edey	Purdue	Big Ten	6-4	Junior	Center
Kyle Filipowski	Duke	ACC	7-0	Freshman	Center
Trayce Jackson-Davis	Indiana	Big Ten	6-9	Senior	Forward
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	UCLA	Pac-12	6-7	Senior	Guard/Forward
Keyontae Johnson	Kansas State	Big 12	6-6	Senior	Forward
Mike Miles Jr.	TCU	Big 12	6-2	Junior	Guard
Brandon Miller	Alabama	SEC	6-9	Freshman	Forward
Kris Murray	Iowa	Big Ten	6-8	Junior	Forward
Marquis Nowell	Kansas State	Big 12	5-8	Senior	Guard
Jalen Pickett	Penn State	Big Ten	6-4	Senior	Guard
Terquavion Smith	NC State	ACC	6-4	Sophomore	Guard
Drew Timme	Gonzaga	West Coast	6-10	Senior	Forward
Oscar Tshiebwe	Kentucky	SEC	6-9	Senior	Forward
Azuolas Tubelis	Arizona	Pac-12	6-11	Junior	Forward
Jalen Wilson	Kansas	Big 12	6-8	Junior	Forward
Isaiah Wong	Miami (Fla.)	ACC	6-4	Junior	Guard

ABOUT the JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All America Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA..

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.

The Legends of Coaching Award will be presented to Coach Dawn Staley, the 2023 recipient, along with the Wooden Award Men's and Women's Players of the Year on April 7, 2023. For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.

UP NEXT
• Sasser and the Cougars open the month of February with a road contest at Wichita State at 8 p.m., Thursday, inside Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. That game will air on ESPN2.
• The Cougars then meet Temple at 5 p.m. (CST), Sunday, inside the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. That game can be seen on ESPN.
• The Cougars look to split the regular-season series against falling against the Owls on Jan. 22 inside the Fertitta Center in Houston.
• Houston faces Tulsa at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, inside the Fertitta Center in a game played on ESPN+.
•The Cougars took an 89-50 win over the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla., on Dec. 28, to open the American Athletic Conference season.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

BUY 2022-23 TICKETS
Fans may purchase single-game tickets for the Cougars' 18 regular-season home games inside the Fertitta Center. Supplies are limited, and fans are encouraged to purchase soon before they run out.

To purchase single-game tickets, fans may call the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours or click here any time.

For the third straight season, the Cougars sold out of their season tickets for home games inside the Fertitta Center.

Fans who were unable to purchase season tickets in 2022-23 are invited to join the team's 2023-24 Wait List as the Cougars prepare to enter the Big 12 Conference. To join the 2023-24 season tickets Wait List, fans can click here.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.

Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

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