A great physique and a height of 2 m no doubt reduce a reader's confidence in Uozumi Jun's intellect. With ace scorer, Fukuda Kiccho and superstar, Sendoh Akira, credibility in his leadership was never strong. Forever losing to Akagi Takenori as a centre all the more overshadows this big fellow's importance and capability. Nonetheless, he is an impressive man; a man of perseverance, a person who is mature and a person with a big heart. 
          Knowing Taoka Moichi's high-handedness as a coach, we immediately understand the physical hardships Uozumi had to go through to attain his present skills. But that is only the physical aspect. We must understand the emotional turmoil he had to undergo; understand that he was only a boy when he started training. Being scolded right in front of his teammates was bad enough, being unable to perform is a deeper shame. Not to say that he is an egomaniac, it is a gruelling pain one feels in the heart when one lets down oneself. Yet he persevered. He has been through much more hardships than Akagi and turned out be a much better person. 
          He matured as the story developed. In the match with Kainan, he was presented as a rash player. A player of big size but with little skills and intelligence. This caused him to be ordered out of court by the referee. In the spectator stand, it is Akagi who commented that Uozumi had no right to be a captain. And on court, Sendoh was given a big chance to show off how talented he was and how he naturally could assumed leadership. These undermine Uozumi's role as the leader of the team. 
         Yet we must not ignore the next match with Shohoku. While there is not much to discuss about his leadership, in this match, he proved to be a grownup; a more mature person than either Akagi or Sendoh. He said two things that let us gain insight to the maturity he had reached. He realised that he had always lost to Akagi in scores but he had never lost in reality. He realised that there is no necessity for him to score a lot of points for the team. He was right. He realised the importance of a team even before Rukawa Kaede or Akagi. He played hard, giving Ryonan the last burst of energy before the match ended. Again, he proved his worth. 
          While most will look upon the incident involving a radish as comical, it was important in telling us that he has a heart for sharing. Not patronising or condescending, he told Akagi the true meaning of being a captain. 
          After understanding all these, we will find out that Uozumi is not as ugly inside as he is outside. He is a man of great courage to be able to learn shame, to re-learn responsibility and to earn what he deserves. This is far more admirable than his looks.