Houston Basketball Has One of the Best Frontcourt Duos in the Country
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From the great Hakeem Olajuwon to Indiana Pacers standout Jarace Walker, Houston has always produced NBA-level talent in the frontcourt.
The Cougars enter the 2026 season with one of the most exciting frontcourt duos in the country with junior forward Joseph Tugler and star freshman center Chris Cenac Jr.
Head coach Kelvin Sampson is excited about this duo and has very high expectations for them this season.
Joseph “Jojo” Tugler
Tugler is the anchor of not only Houston’s defense but the whole team. In last year’s finals loss to Florida, he only played 15 minutes because of foul trouble.
“I thought that affected us offensively just as much as it did defensively,” Sampson said on the Inside College Basketball Now Podcast.
Tugler had a breakout sophomore season after missing the end of his freshman season with a broken foot.
The 6-foot-8 forward proved his worth last season by winning the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award along with the Lefty Driesell award.
Tugler averaged a steal and just under two blocks a game and was a problem for opposing offenses all season.
Over the summer, he had another foot surgery and is expected to be back at practice within the next week.
Sampson has always praised Tugler on how hard he works and his emphasis he puts on defense, but the coaching staff is looking for him to take another step in his game this season.
“Jojo finished the year better offensively, and I think he’ll take off from that,” Sampson said. “I’m anxious to see us playing through him a little more… if you have a five-man that can pass, that's a big component of your offense.”
Chris Cenac Jr.
Cenac Jr. enters his freshman season at Houston and is a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-11 center is rated as the top player in his position in the 2025 class and enters this season with high expectations as a projected starter.
Cenac Jr. also has high expectations for Houston as a team, but for himself as well.
“I want to win Big 12 Freshman of the Year, National Player of the Year and some defensive accolades,” Cenac Jr. told 247Sports. “I want to show NBA teams I buy into defense. Any accolade that's out there, I am coming for it.”
Sampson and staff see him as a valuable piece in competing for a national championship, and he brings a unique skill set to UH for someone his size.
Not only can he play defense, handle the ball well and grab rebounds, he is also an elite shooter.
“He will be one of the better 3-point shooters on the team,” Sampson said. “Instead of a roll guy, he gives us a pop guy.”
Is This Houston’s Year?
The Cougars have dominated the Big 12 the last two seasons with a 34-4 conference record and back-to-back regular season conference championships.
Houston made its first national title game last season against Florida since 1984 and fell just short of the program’s first national title.
With one of the best defensive returners in the country returning and a projected lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft hungry to prove himself, Houston has all the pieces to compete once again this 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).