How Houston Cougars Star Freshman is Taking Big Strides
In this story:
It’s a new look front court for Houston Cougars basketball this season. The familiar face and No. 13 jersey number of J’Wan Roberts is no longer in sight at Fertitta Center, making plays on defense or in the paint.
While junior forward Joseph Tugler remains a force defensively, the Cougars have a new story this year, and not just in the front court. That is the freshmen. For the first time in the Kelvin Sampson era, Houston is starting two freshmen.
One of them is UH’s new big man. Freshman forward/center Chris Cenac Jr., a former five-star prospect and ranked the best center in the class of 2025. He was the big star and main name of Houston’s 2025 recruiting class, the best in program history.
Growth for the Cougars’ Big Man
Cenac Jr. was expected to be one of the top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft and be a one-and-done with the Cougars. While it was a slow start for him, the 6-foot-11 stretch big made an instant impact with his rebounding, something head coach Kelvin Sampson noted after the second game of the season.
While Cenac Jr. has played the five as a center in high school, he’s playing a different spot in his first collegiate season.
“As soon as Chris committed, I knew I would start him at the 4. I knew he wasn’t going to be very good in October, I knew he wasn’t going to be very good in November,” Sampson said.
While he typically played a different level of defense and guarded different players, it has been a whole new world for Cenac Jr. on that side of the ball.
“He’s never done any of that. He’s never guarded a 3-point shooter. He’s never done what he’s doing. His whole life he’s played one position: center,” Sampson said.
Whether it was off-the-ball defensive stunts or rotation, Cenac Jr. has constantly gotten better through the first four months of the season.
“The reason it took so long to see any improvement was that he’s never played on the perimeter. That’s a 6-foot-10 kid guarding 6-foot-6 guys at the 3-point line. He’s never played defense, and when he did, it was at the 5,” Sampson said.
Sampson has seen growth from Cenac Jr. on the defensive end and his potential continue to skyrocket. He was obviously going to be a good offensive player and rebounder. One of Cenac Jr.’s top skills was his 3-point shooting and ability to use his jump shot. Even that has also gotten better.
The reason for that is his work ethic. Houston does not evaluate or recruit anyone. Cenac Jr. is dedicated to his craft, and that’s why he chose to play for the Cougars. It’s not easy to play for Sampson, but his defensive play will help him benefit massively at the professional level.
Sampson described his defense at the start of the season as “HYM”, as in hope you miss, but wanted to let everyone know his positive thoughts about Cenac Jr.
“He’s never had one ounce of bad body language. He’s never been late. Always one of the first ones there, last ones to leave. He’s a huge sponge. He is an awesome young man,” Sampson said.
High Expectations
Cenac Jr. was very honest about his growth and performances.
For November, he gave himself a letter grade of F, and now he gave himself a C.
“I feel like I can improve in every area,” Cenac Jr. said.
The New Orleans native is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 49 percent from the field. He is also a 39 percent shooter from 3-point range through 18 games, a mark very impressive for a big man.
Cenac Jr. matched his career high of 18 points in Houston’s previous game against Arizona State, along with eight rebounds, three steals, and a career high five assists. He currently has three double-doubles on the year and has double-digit rebounds in seven games so far.
The young star stretch big for Houston will continue to improve and be a key impact player for the Cougars down the road.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.