Kelvin Sampson Praises Star Guard In Postgame Press Conference
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Houston basketball is off to yet another incredible start to the season, beginning 17-1 and is now 3-0 in conference play.
With many tough games for the Cougars on the horizon, many fans have started to question why senior point guard Milos Uzan’s stats have been down after having a breakout season last year.
Well, Houston’s head coach, Kelvin Sampson, had a lot to say about this matter, and the summary is that he is not worried about his veteran guard.
Kelvin Sampson Defends Milos Uzan After Defeating West Virginia
Uzan began his career at Oklahoma University, and he played two years for the Sooners.
Entering his junior season, the young point guard decided to transfer to the University of Houston to play for Sampson, known for developing guards and preparing them for the next level.
After the Cougars lost star point guard Jamal Shead, there was a huge void in Houston's starting lineup, and Uzan had a huge role to take over.
While Sampson doesn't try to replace anyone, he instead tries to maximize each player's talent and make the team that he has as competitive as possible.
This took a lot of pressure off of Uzan, and throughout the season he began to flourish.
Uzan averaged 11.4 points and almost a four to one assist to turnover ratio, solidifying himself as one of the top guards in the country.
He also shot an impressive 45.3 percent from the floor and 42.8 percent from behind the arc, which drew the attention of many NBA scouts.
Everyone knows what Uzan is capable of, but after a down shooting year, many fans are worried about their star guard.
This season, Uzan is shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three, which are both significantly lower than his breakout season last year.
Sampson directly addressed this situation in the postgame press conference after Houston defeated West Virginia.
"I don't really care about Milos's shooting or if it goes in or not," Sampson said. "That is for people who don't know what they are talking about."
He went on to defend Uzan by mentioning big moments he has had since joining the program.
He asked Uzan how many threes he made in the Arizona game in the Big 12 Championship and against Purdue in the Sweet 16, which are two of the biggest games for Houston last season.
Uzan made five against Arizona and six against Purdue, and Sampson responded with, "He tends to make them when it counts. It is a long season."
In the last two games alone, he has made nine three-pointers on 55 percent shooting.
It is clear that Sampson's confidence in him has increased his own confidence, and he is still the same game-changing player that he was last season.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).