Two UH Cougars, forward Jarace Walker and guard Marcus Sasser, went off the board in the first round of the NBA Draft for the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Young were drafted first and fourteenth overall in 1984.
Walker was selected eighth overall to the Indiana Pacers — the highest a Cougar has gone in the draft since Olajuwon — and Sasser went 25th to the Detroit Pistons.
Both players played integral parts in the Cougars’ historic 2022-23 campaign, leading the team in scoring to a 33-4 record and a Sweet 16 appearance. UH also spent time atop the AP Poll for the first time since 1983.