WICHITA, Kan. — A transformation seven months in the making has turned Milos Uzan from a newcomer trying to fit in into the gritty leader Houston needed.

The junior point guard’s growth is a big reason why the Cougars have won 13 straight games and enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in their regional. But getting here wasn’t easy.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson told a story back on March 6 about the coaching staff developing Uzan to be "meaner."

“I mentioned that seven months ago... June, July, August, September, October. First thing I noticed about him when we first started in June and July, he never fouled,” Sampson said to KHOU 11’s Jason Bristol during a news conference in Wichita. “I said, ‘Son, we foul a lot. You got to learn to foul.’”

The lesson stuck. Uzan embraced Houston’s physical, hard-nosed style, evolving into a point guard fit for a program that prides itself on toughness.

“Yeah, he used to say, ‘I need to get more mud in my blood,’” Uzan said.

It’s there now. He’s become a worthy successor to Jamal Shead, who’s now in the NBA.

The shift didn’t happen in isolation. Sampson credits Uzan’s teammates for guiding him through the process.

“This is very much a player-led program,” Sampson said.

“He does it Milos’ way,” said guard Emanuel Sharp. “And you know, we need that. We don’t need a Jamal (Shead), we need a Milos.”

“I was the only new guy here. I wanted to fit in a little bit,” Uzan admitted. “And Coach Sam(pson) could see that, and he used to tell me all the time, ‘Don’t fit in.’ So it’s definitely helped.”

And Uzan’s progress shows. Twice in the past month, he’s set a personal record for points in a game.

Now, there’s no more hesitation—just a battle-tested point guard ready to lead Houston’s championship push.