NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Less than a month after hearing his name called on NBA Draft night, former Newman standout and Boston Celtics rookie **Chris Cenac Jr.** is already putting money and time back into the game—hosting a camp aimed at kids chasing the same hoop dreams he once had.
Cenac says the idea is personal. He still remembers being a young kid in New Orleans, attending **Greg Monroe’s camp** and feeling what it was like to be close to someone who had made it.
“I remember Greg Monroe had a camp out here one time and I was there. I was probably about 7, 8 years old,” Cenac said. “That was the first thing I thought about… the feeling I had when I was at his camp and looking up to him. I want all these kids to look up to me… and know that coming from New Orleans, your dreams could come true.”
This year’s draft gave local players plenty of proof. Along with Cenac, **Ponchatoula’s Allen Graves** and **St. Aug’s Jaron Pierre Jr.** also heard their names called—more evidence that even if the area isn’t always viewed as a basketball hotbed, elite talent can come from South Louisiana.
One of the players Cenac is most excited to learn from is also a familiar name back home: NBA champion and **Chalmette alum Mitchell Robinson**, now a teammate in Boston. Cenac said the shared South Louisiana connection is something he’s looking forward to building on once the season begins.
“I mean, that’s pretty cool that we both came from South Louisiana,” Cenac said. “That’s something that we’re definitely going to talk about a little bit more… we were definitely going to have more conversations when the season comes around.”
As he prepares for his rookie season, Cenac’s focus is on earning his place in the league—while keeping a list of matchups circled.
“All the teams that passed up on me, I’m looking forward to those games,” he said. “That’s all I got to say.”
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