Houston Cougars land another big-time basketball recruit
Everyone wants to play for Kelvin Sampson.
Houston's 69-year-old men's basketball coach continues to land the biggest high school basketball recruits in the country. On Tuesday, Sampson's recruiting streak continued with the commitment Chris Cenac Jr., the top-ranked center in the country in the class of 2025.
Cenac, who stands 6-foot-10 with a wingspan of 7-foot-4, gives Sampson another long, athletic rebounder and shot blocker.
"I built a great relationship with Coach Sampson, Coach [Quannas] White and the rest of the staff. They have a plan to develop me, and I trust them," Cenac told ESPN. "I know Coach Sampson is going to coach me hard. I want that and I need that. I am a coachable player. People see Coach Sampson only on the court -- he has a good sense of humor, and he is really a funny guy."
Sampson has already flashed his sense of humor several times this season, including revealing his nickname for freshman Mercy Miller - Shotgun Willie.
"Mercy came from a high school where he got to shoot all the balls," Sampson said. "I told him, 'son, we pass around here.' He took one down that one side and he thought he was back at Notre Dame Prep playing Cathedral Jesuit or whatever the teams are in that league out there. He was one on five. Of course he was going to miss that one."
Cenac is the highest-ranked recruit in Houston men's basketball history and vaults the Cougars to the No. 2 class of 2025 recruiting class in the country. Sampson has already received commitments from guards Isiah Harwell, Kingston Flemings and Bryce Jackson. Harwell and Jackson are among the top 20 players in their class.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.