Houston Cougars Star Freshman Heavily Weighing NBA Draft Decision
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With the Houston Cougars now watching the rest of the NCAA Tournament from the comfortability of their couches, the game plan now begins to form for the 2026-27 season, and that includes who will be returning to the team and who will be going onto greener pastures.
Amongst those being faced with a decision is freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., who is weighing the options between returning to the Cougars or putting his name into the hat for the 2026 NBA draft.
Cenac Jr.'s first year at the collegiate level saw him average 9.5 points per game and 7.9 rebounds, including game-highs of 18 in each stat, respectively
Will Cenac Stay Or Will He Go?
According to a report by Michael Shapiro of Chron, Cenac Jr.'s father, Chris Cenac Sr., is still currently thinking about the decision of whether to return or declare, and expects his son to give an answer within the next two weeks.
Cenac Jr. may have only been held to single-digit averages in points and rebounds, but his production was still at a level that many NBA teams would be content with having on their squads.
The 6'11 New Orleans native was an asset for the Cougars during their first two NCAA Tournament matches, grabbing 18 rebounds against the Idaho Vandals and scoring 17 points in the Round of 32 against the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Sweet 16 match against the Illinois Fighting Illini saw Cenac grab 10 boards, but was held in check on scoring with only seven points, a sure reason that the Coogs were ousted from the tournament when they were.
With Emanuel Sharp finishing up his collegiate career, and Kingston Flemings also being placed in the many top 10 draft projections, that is already a hard enough loss for head coach Kelvin Sampson, who announced over the weekend that he would be returning to the team for his 13th season at the helm.
Cenac was ranked as a five-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN, and was the top-ranked center in the ESPN100, and he eventually committed to the Cougars over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Texas Longhorns, UConn Huskies, and Michigan State Spartans, amongst other teams.
Should Cenac choose to forgo his final three years of college, he would wait until May 10 to seehow the NBA Drafy Lottery plays out, and would then wait until late June to see where he would begin his career at the higher level.
And should he choose to stay in Houston, he would continue the offseason grind until the season starts in early November.
