Milos Uzan withdraws from NBA Draft to return to Houston: Source
This decision gives Houston three returning starters — Uzan joins Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler — and cements last year's national runner-up as one of the preseason national title favorites.
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In a roster domino of Uzan's decision, former Texas Tech and Creighton guard Pop Isaacs decommitted from Houston and will head to Texas A&M, his agency told The Athletic.
The Houston coaching staff operated this spring under the premise that Uzan would likely stay in the draft and moved quickly to replace him in the starting lineup with Isaacs. The door was always left open in case Uzan's feedback from the NBA led him back to Houston. After participating in the NBA Draft Combine and working out for six teams, he was trending toward the second round — he appeared at No. 40 in The Athletic's Sam Vecenie's latest mock draft.
By returning to college, it's possible that Uzan could get more money than he would have received with a contract in the second round. He also has the chance to play his way into the 2026 first round. With L.J. Cryer, Houston's leading scorer from last season, graduating, Uzan will likely take on more of a scoring role after averaging 11.4 points in his first season at Houston.
For coach Kelvin Sampson, his formula has been roster continuity, and this certainly helps in that department. The Cougars will be leaning more on freshmen than ever before, with two starting spots likely going to power forward Chris Cenac Jr. and either Isiah Harwell or Kingston Fleming at the other guard spot, but it's a lot easier to blend those freshmen around three veterans. The combination of Uzan, Sharpe and Tugler outscored opponents by 40.8 points per 100 possessions when on the floor together last season, per CBB Analytics.
— The Athletic's Tobias Bass contributed to this report.
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