Chris Cenac Jr., Isiah Harwell Named to McDonald’s All-American Game

HOUSTON – University of Houston Men's Basketball signees Chris Cenac Jr. and Isiah Harwell were named to the McDonald's All-American Game on Monday.

Cenac and Harwell were two of 24 high school student-athletes to earn a place at the prestigious event. Houston was one of four schools with multiple signees competing in the game, joining Duke, UConn and Arkansas.

Harwell will compete for the East Team under Head Coach Herman Harried (Lake Clifton High School, Md.) while Cenac will play for the West Team under Head Coach Danny Broussard

The McDonald's All-American Game will be held inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 1. The game will be shown on ESPN.

Cenac and Harwell have jumped out to fast starts during their senior seasons with each being named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List for National High School Player of the Year.

They are the first Cougars to be named McDonald's High School All-Americans since forward Jarace Walker in 2022 and join guard Quentin Grimes (2018), forward Devonta Pollard (2012), forward Alton Ford (2000) and guard Rickie Winslow (1983) in playing for Houston.

Cenac and Harwell will compete at Houston as freshmen beginning with the 2025-26 season and have four years of eligibility remaining, They join fellow freshmen William J. Brennan High School (San Antonio) point guard Kingston Flemings and Shadow Creek High School (Pearland, Texas) guard Bryce Jackson in the Cougars' No. 2 nationally ranked Class of 2025.

ABOUT ISIAH HARWELL
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 200 pounds, Harwell is a consensus 5-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports, on3 and ESPN and is the No. 13 prospect nationally in the ESPN100. He was ranked among the nation's Top Three shooting guards by all four scouting organizations and stood as the No. 9 overall prospect by Rivals.

He chose Houston over California, Gonzaga and Texas.

As a junior during the 2023-24 season, Harwell drained a pair of free throws with less than three seconds remaining to lift Wasatch Academy to a 75-73 win over Columbus (Miami) at Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta and finished with 15 points and four rebounds.

That season, he scored 22 points with 14 rebounds and seven assists without a turnover in a win over IMG Academy at the U.S. Steel La Porte Invitational in Indiana.

In July 2023, he led the Utah Prospects to the adidas AAU National Championship in South Carolina. Earlier that summer, he also led Team USA to the Gold Medal at the Under-16 FIBA Americas Championships in Merida, Mexico and played for the championship team at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.

In his first season at Wasatch Academy as a sophomore in 2022-23, Harwell averaged 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game at Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.

Harwell was an All-State First-Team selection as a freshman at Century High School in his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho, during the 2021-22 season. He averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while leading the Diamondbacks to the District Finals.

His father, Ron, was an award-winning basketball player at Idaho State (1993-97) and ranked third in school history in career steals.

ABOUT CHRIS CENAC Jr.
Measuring 6-foot-10 and weighing 230 pounds, Cenac is a consensus 5-star recruit by 247Sports, on3, Rivals and ESPN.

Cenac, whose name is pronounced See-Nack – was a Top-10 recruit by all national recruiting organizations and was listed as the No. 1 center in the country by 247Sports and ESPN100 and as the No. 6 player overall in the ESPN100.

In the summer of 2024, Cenac was impressive at the NBPA Top 100 Camps, taking home Most Valuable Player honors. He also led Team USA National Team to the Gold Medal at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Istanbul and was named the Most Valuable Player of Puma's PRO16 league.

Prior to playing with Link Academy, Cenac spent two seasons at Isidore Newman High School under Coach Randy Livingston in his hometown of New Orleans.

As a junior in 2023-24, Cenac led Isidore Newman High School to its third straight state championship and received All-State Second Team recognition after averaging 13.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

That year, Cenac posted 19 points with eight assists, four rebounds and three blocked shots in the state championship game against University High School. For that impressive performance, he was named the State Championship Most Outstanding Player.

UP NEXT
• Following Wednesday's game, Houston opens the month of February when its plays host to Texas Tech at 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1. That game will air on ESPN2.
• It will be a busy day inside Fertitta Center as the Cougars celebrate the retirement of Houston great Don Chaney's #24 jersey at halftime and wear their Houston Blue uniforms for the first time.
• From there, Houston continues its homestand as it meets Oklahoma State for the second time this season at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4, inside Fertitta Center.
• The Cougars opened their 2024-25 Big 12 season with a 60-47 win over the Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla., on Dec. 30, 2024.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

STAY CONNECTED
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