His parents are Sharita and Chris Sr. Cenac grew up in New Orleans and has one sister, Cori. He was not initially viewed as a high-level prospect despite his physical tools. After a modest freshman season, he was forced to sit out his sophomore year because of Louisiana transfer rules, and Isidore Newman School won the state championship.
A strong AAU campaign then led to a big junior season in which he led Isidore Newman to its third straight state title and was a second-team all-state pick. He won Most Outstanding Player in the championship game. He also won MVP honors at the NBPA Top 100 Camp and later played for Team USA at the 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, where he averaged 9 points and five rebounds while helping the team win a gold medal. For his senior season, Cenac transferred to Link Academy, where he played a national schedule and earned multiple tournament MVP awards. He was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic.
Cenac rose from a top-100 recruit after his sophomore summer to a consensus top-10 prospect by the end of high school. He chose Houston over Arkansas, Alabama, LSU, Baylor, Kentucky and others. He was the highest-ranked recruit of the Kelvin Sampson era and the centerpiece of arguably the best recruiting class in school history, alongside Isiah Harwell and Kingston Flemings.
Although Flemings quickly emerged as Houston’s top freshman, Cenac remained a useful contributor and started nearly every game during the season. He helped lead Houston to the Sweet 16 before declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft as an early entrant.
