Before Big 12 grind begins, Houston finds competition at the bowling alley

Houston men’s basketball knows the unrelenting Big 12 conference schedule is lurking right around the corner.

But before the Cougars take the floor against Cincinnati on Saturday, they took to the bowling alley Wednesday night in a competition that exposed some strengths and weaknesses—away from the court.

“I think we have to start doing that more because I had a bad night,” senior guard Milos Uzan said. “I’ve got to really show what I can do, but it was fun.” 

Uzan admitted he started off strong in his team’s first game, but the second and third ones didn’t bear the same results. 

“I struggled a little bit but I’m solid,” Uzan said. 

Nearly the entire roster was split into two teams, with late arrivals graduate forward Kalifa Sakho and freshman guard Isiah Harwell rounding out the competition.

Both Uzan and freshman guard Kingston Flemings laughed and agreed Harwell had the roughest night of the bunch, scoring a lowly 48 in one of the games.

“Zai came in talking hot too. He came in talking hot, he struggled,” Uzan said. “The lanes were smaller so I gave him the benefit of the doubt right there. He didn’t have enough spin on it. It’s alright though, we’re gonna come back next time.”

Uzan admitted that his team as a whole needed to improve, losing to a group consisting of redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp, graduate guard Ramon Walker Jr., redshirt junior forward Cedric Lath, junior forward JoJo Tugler, and sophomore guard Mercy Miller. 

Miller impressed Uzan with his bowling skills, posting the highest score out of everyone. 

He had to let the team know about it too.

“Mercy was balling yesterday—I’m not going to lie, he was balling, and he was hitting strikes,” Uzan said. “And he was dancing with it, he was feeling it.”

After Wednesday, Uzan isn’t the only one on his team eyeing a rematch.

“We’re going to get them next time we go,” freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. said. “For sure.”