Milos Uzan, one of the key members of Houston’s Final Four team, is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and will return to the Cougars for his fourth and final season of eligibility.
The 6-foot-4 rising senior guard earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors last season, averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and a career-high 42.8 percent from three. Houston went 35-5, winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and making it all the way to the national title game for the first time since 1984.
With Uzan back, Houston is likely to be ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the 2025-26 campaign. The Cougars will also return starters Emanuel Sharp, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who won MVP of the Big 12 Tournament, and Joseph Tugler, a 6-foot-7 junior forward and the Conference’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The Cougars also signed the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class (per 247Sports), headlined by three consensus top 25 prospects: 6-foot-10 center Chris Cenac Jr., 6-foot-6 guard Isiah Harwell and 6-foot-2 guard Kingston Flemings.
Uzan’s decision coincided with the news that Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, had flipped his commitment from Houston to Texas A&M. Isaacs averaged 16.3 points per game last year before undergoing season-ending hip surgery.
Still, with Uzan in the mix — a player already familiar with coach Kelvin Sampson’s unique culture and style — the Cougars have more than enough to cut down the nets in 2026. Roster continuity has been critical to the program’s success throughout Sampson’s tenure.
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Uzan spent his first two seasons at Oklahoma, averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He transferred to Houston a year ago and was faced with the daunting task of replacing All-American point guard Jamal Shead, who was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round. As expected, it took time for Uzan to fully adjust to his new environment, but once he did, the 22-year-old exceeded expectations. Over the last 14 games of the regular season, he averaged 13.5 points and 3.9 assists, and connected on 46.4 percent of his threes. In Houston’s thrilling 62-60 win over Purdue in the Sweet 16, Uzan led all scorers with 22 points, including the game-winner.
Sampson and his staff are still recovering from last year’s heartbreaking loss to Florida in the National Championship game. He recently talked with Hoops HQ, going 38 minutes uninterrupted about the gut-wrenching ending, before speaking optimistically about the team’s ability to bounce back this year. Their chances of returning to the Final Four and finishing the job just got a lot higher with Uzan re-entering the picture.
