Houston Cougars: Jarreau should return for final season not NBA Draft

Houston Cougars guard Dejon Jarreau has officially declared for the NBA Draft but it’s best that he returns for a final season. Why? Let’s examine.

The Houston Cougars‘ blossoming season was put on hold as they finished with a 23-8 overall record and 13-5 within American Athletic Conference and holding a Top 25 position in among basketball programs in the country.

They were ranked No. 22 among them all at the end of the season which would’ve gotten them an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament but as Kelvin Sampson leads a scrappy, young bunch of athletes, getting the bid would’ve not been enough.

He would’ve wanted to when the AAC Tourney and come into the Big Dance with the type of momentum to get through some tough rounds of basketball.

We all remember that they were on the bus to Dallas for the AAC tournament last month and they had to turn things around back to H-Town after a wave of cancellations occurred all throughout sports in response to the coronavirus.

The season 2019-20 season has since been cancelled amid the globe fighting a seriously dangerous pandemic and we’ll never know how things would’ve panned out for this bunch. I’d suspect that this team would’ve had to the potential to get to the Sweet 16 and the rest would’ve been gravy but I’m just so pleased how much the program has turned around under Sampson’s tutelage.

The Houston Cougars are on an amazing track for the future and once things resume for these guys — with or without fans — there will be many eyes of intrigue among them. When an appropriate treatment program and vaccine is widely-available for COVID-19, we’ll see Fertitta Center packed to brim as it had been up to this point.

However, the Houston Cougars could be without one of their key players next season as Dejon Jarreau has declared for the NBA Draft as per a report from the Chron’s Joseph Duarte.

I imagine that this decision was based on the current climate of uncertainty and the likelihood of which league would be able to start games first.

But I think under normal circumstances, Jarreau would’ve definitely decided to return to the Houston Cougars with hesitation. He hasn’t hired an agent so he can change his mind and return to the Houston Cougars as long as he makes that decision by June 3.

Simply put, Jarreau is currently in the oven but the popper hasn’t protruded yet indicating that things are done and he’s ready to be taken out. In other words, he has one more year of eligibility and should use it to develop, even more, get more playing time and make an even bigger name for himself.

He had some unfortunate notoriety for biting Cincinnati’s Mamoudou Diarra back Feb. 1 which

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caused him to be suspended one game. I totally get it — if you’ve seen him play, he’s totally into what he’s doing and he let his emotions get the best of him at that moment. I’m not excusing what happened as it shouldn’t have but it’s understandable.

I still see big things for Jarreau who had quickly sprung out on the scene as a gritty defender that can get you a key rebound or basket when you most desperately need it. He was always ready whenever called upon and when you’d sometimes see some crazy turnover he’d commit, you still know he was all-dialed into what he was doing.

I certainly hope that he reconsiders his decision and comes back to the Houston Cougars for one more go.

Although they’ll be losing Chris Harris Jr. because he’s a senior, he’ll still be coupled with Caleb Mills, Quentin Grimes and Nate Hinton to kick off the 2020-21 season and I think that’s as competitive of a bunch as you could get.

We’ll have to see if it happens…

dark. Next. Cougars: Kelvin Sampson's deal opens a new door

Jarreau averaged 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds, ranking him eighth in the AAC with a tepid shooting line of .374/.175/.795 through 30 games — 17 starts — for the Coogs last season.

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