NORMAN — Milos Uzan looked the part.

Long before his days with the OU men’s basketball team, Uzan could be found attending Eldorado High School games in his hometown of Las Vegas. His father, Mike, served as the team’s head coach from 2007-11.

Uzan was only about six years old at the time, but he had no interest in watching from the bleachers. He sat at the end of Eldorado’s bench, dressed up in a suit and tie like the rest of the team’s coaches.

Uzan handed out water and towels to players during the game. He chucked up shots during timeouts. He drew up plays in the locker room at halftime with his personal whiteboard.

He just wanted to be a part of it all.

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"He was really in-tune with the game," Mike Uzan said. "He watched how we dressed, how we talked and how we coached. The whole nine. He was a part of that at a very young age. He has been in that culture for a very long time."

Uzan took his role with Eldorado seriously, but he has an even larger role with OU this season.

The freshman guard is enjoying a breakout campaign. He quickly played his way into the starting lineup and is now averaging 7.5 points and three assists for the Sooners, who conclude their regular season with a home game against 22nd-ranked TCU at 2 p.m. Saturday.

In an era that’s dominated by transfers and super seniors, it’s uncommon for freshmen to have an immediate impact in college basketball. It’s even more uncommon for that to happen in the Big 12, which is widely believed to be the most stacked conference in the nation.

And while it may seem like Uzan has been thrown into the fire, he has prepared for this opportunity his whole life.

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Uzan's basketball family

Uzan grew up in a basketball family.

His oldest brother, Julian Jacobs, played at USC from 2013-16 before having a pro career that included multiple stops in the G League.

Uzan’s other older brother, Capri Uzan, is still playing college ball. He's a senior guard at Westcliff, which is an NAIA school.

Uzan constantly found himself playing up to competition as a result, although he had his work cut out for him. In addition to often being the youngest player on the floor, he was also undersized.

But that didn’t stop Uzan.

He used to play on the same AAU team as Capri, who is four years older. And even though Uzan only played during garbage time, he made sure to show he could hang.

“He used to be really little to the point where we didn’t know if he’d be able to play at the next level,” Capri said. “He used to take that personal. When he got into games, he was really trying to score like he was a part of the team. ... I feel like that gave him a chip on his shoulder.”

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Uzan’s rise through the high school ranks

Uzan grew to 6-foot-1 before the start of his freshman year of high school.

He played for his father, who had become the head coach at Desert Pines by that time.

Uzan hit the ground running in high school. He averaged 15.1 points and 4.9 assists in his first two seasons and even led Desert Pines to a 2020 Nevada State Championship appearance.

“Playing for my dad was probably one of the better decisions I made,” Uzan said. “I built my confidence during my freshman and sophomore year.”

Uzan gained even more confidence when he became close friends with former NBA player John Lucas II, who has been an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets since 2020.

Lucas knew Uzan’s father. And whenever the Rockets were in Las Vegas for Summer League, Lucas would invite Uzan to work out with him and various NBA players such as John Wall.

“It showed me what it takes to get to that level,” Uzan said of the workout sessions. “I got to learn from them. It’s definitely a cool experience and a good one.”

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Lucas wasn’t the only person who took interest in Uzan.

By the time Uzan entered his senior year, the 6-foot-4 guard was rated by ESPN as a four-star prospect and the 58th-best player in the Class of 2022.

Uzan held offers from programs such as UCLA and UNLV, but he instead committed to OU in October 2021.

“He said Porter really recruited him,” Mike Uzan said. “The opportunity to play right away was obviously the biggest reason. And he felt like he had a connection with Moser, which was really cool.”

For Moser, the decision to recruit Uzan was an easy one.

The OU head coach has said on numerous occasions that he looks for winners when on the recruiting trail, and Uzan's background fit that mold.

"The first time I saw him, I loved what I saw," Moser said of Uzan. "In high school, he won when he played for his dad. That was all big factors for me. ... That winning pedigree is such a foundation moving forward with this recruitment."

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Uzan’s breakout season with OU

Uzan began this season with OU off the bench, which was to be expected.

But the freshman quickly emerged as more than just a spark plug, and he earned his first start in a game against then-ninth-ranked Arkansas on Dec. 10.

The Razorbacks boasted three five-star freshmen in Anthony Black, Jordan Walsh and Nick Smith Jr., but Uzan held his own. He erupted for then-career-highs of 15 points and five assists in an 88-78 loss.

"I know they're projected lottery, but I think I'm in the same conversation," Uzan said of Arkansas' freshmen after the game. "I just wanted to come out here and play hard and compete."

Uzan is starting to get more recognition.

While the Las Vegas native isn’t projected to be a lottery pick, ESPN did project him to get selected by the New York Knicks in the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2024 NBA Draft.

“It’s super cool,” Mike Uzan said. “To know that he’s going to have the opportunity to play basketball for a long time and make a little money at the end is awesome. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s definitely a compliment to his work and the time that he’s put in to get to that level.”

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It isn’t hard to see why Uzan is on NBA teams’ radars.

The 20-year-old guard is a three-level scorer who boasts excellent passing vision. He also uses his length to get into passing lanes on defense.

And while being named in mock drafts can be a distraction for some players, Moser knows that won’t be the case for Uzan.

"He’s stayed humble," Moser said. "In the age of the spotlight, the way it is on young guys, to be starting at this highest level, you can start to see an entitlement or a foot off the gas pedal. He has been steadfast of just trying to improve every day."

Uzan’s commitment to the game comes as no surprise to those who still know him as that kid who used to sit at the end of the Eldorado bench in a suit and tie.

Uzan has always been around the game of basketball, and that dedication is paying off.

“I don’t think anyone who knows (Uzan) would have a bad thing to say about him," Jacobs said. "He’s just a good kid who loves to play basketball.”

OU vs. TCU

TIPOFF: 2 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman (ESPN+)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men's basketball: Milos Uzan is thriving as a freshman for Sooners