Star Pizza gives UH’s Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark a slice of the NIL pie

“The idea had been in the oven for some time,” Pittman said.

This week, Pittman announced hot-out-of-the-oven partnerships with Sasser and guard Tramon Mark, having offered them a slice of the NIL pie to be brand ambassadors for Star Pizza. Pittman expects to sign other players, including guard Ramon Walker Jr., to similar deals this offseason.

As the Cougars made another deep run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight after Sweet 16 and Final Four appearances the previous two postseasons, Pittman said he and his wife, Jennifer, became increasingly frustrated by the lack of NIL deals available to the men’s basketball team.

“When your basketball team is in the Sweet 16, Final Four and Elite Eight three years in a row, it gets aggravating when no one gets any attention,” Pittman said. “We both got really frustrated. If this is all it took, somebody else needs to get on board. There has to be more companies out there in Houston.”

Like many, though, Pittman wasn’t sure how NIL works. It’s still very much in the infancy stage, with legislation passed less than a year ago allowing student-athletes to promote, partner with or represent brands.

Pittman asked around. He made some calls. Then in early April, he went to an NIL appearance by several members of the team hosted by Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale at Gallery Furniture.

From there, Pittman reached out to Sasser.

“Let’s just shoot for the top,” Pittman said of UH’s most prominent player.

Sasser responded.

“I didn’t know what to do at that point,” Pittman said with a laugh. “I was figuring it out as I go. When he said that, I was like, ‘I’m on a roll. Let’s go for Tramon.’

“Then Tramon said sure. Then we asked Ramon Walker Jr.”

The deals’ financial terms and length were not released, but Pittman said the partnerships “did not break the bank.” Star Pizza, with three area locations, never has advertised and instead relies on word of mouth and social media outreach to bring in customers.

“We’re a pizza place that is run like a mom-and-pop,” Pittman said.

As part of the deal, Sasser and Mark will promote Star Pizza with a certain number of posts on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. Pittman said more exclusive content will be released at a later date, including a video shot during Monday’s official signing at the restaurant.

Side note: Sasser likes honey mustard on everything, Pittman said, and was sent home Monday with a pizza and some of the restaurant’s homemade honey mustard.

Jennifer Pittman also put together “Hoop and Holler Houston,” a microcollective not affiliated with the university that aims to gather UH supporters to generate NIL deals for the school’s student-athletes. A similar deal is in place between the collective and Sasser and Mark.

Sasser, who must decide his playing future by June 1, said he appreciated Star Pizza’s video board message.

“The community is showing a lot of love wanting me to come back,” Sasser said earlier this month. “It just shows you how the city is behind us and how much this program has built up from the ground, and now a lot of people in the Houston area are following and supporting us.”

But NIL deals have been slow to come for most UH student-athletes. Star running back Alton McCaskill has a deal with Pinkerton’s Barbecue; Sasser has about a half-dozen NIL deals, including with Little Woodrow’s and Six Star Pro Nutrition; and point guard Jamal Shead also has a few deals to promote products on social media.

While student-athletes look to build their brands, Pittman said a partnership with members of the UH men’s basketball team was a no-brainer because of the team’s recent success. Sasser is one of the top guards in college basketball, and UH is expected to be among the favorites to reach the 2023 Final Four, which will be held at NRG Stadium.

For Pittman, it all started with a sign.

“I wanted to start small, a grassroots campaign, and it seems to be getting some traction,” Pittman said. “I hope I can get people to support.”