Houston guard L.J. Cryer looks up at the net after winning the Big 12 Conference, Saturday, March 1, 2025 in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Over the past five seasons, graduate guard L.J. Cryer has mastered cutting down nets.
Every piece of nylon removed throughout his career at both Baylor and Houston has further established him as a college basketball great.
“Since I started playing sports, I have played to win,” Cryer said. “I want people to look at me as a winner. Now that I’ve won the conference four times, I don’t think there is any other way to look at me.”
On Monday, Feb. 24, the Cougars defeated Texas Tech 69-61 to clinch a share of the 2025 Big 12 Conference title.
With the win, Cryer became the first player since the 2017-18 season to be a part of four Big 12 regular-season championship teams.
In the following game, the Cougars claimed their second straight outright Big 12 conference title with a 73-64 win on Saturday, March 1, at the Fertitta Center, and Cryer reached 1,000 career points in the red and white, a feat achieved by only 53 other Coogs.
Houston became the first team to win back-to-back titles within its first two years in a new major conference since Idaho did it in 1923.
With the victory, Cryer claimed his fourth Big 12 Conference title in his five years in the NCAA.
Cryer wins Big 12 title and NCAA National Championship
He began his college career at Baylor and played his first three seasons for the Bears.
In his first season, he made 20 appearances off the bench.
The freshman sharpshooter showed flashes of brilliance in his limited minutes, shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range.
Cryer assisted Baylor in winning the Big 12 title and an NCAA National Championship, where the Bears defeated Gonzaga 86-70.
Success through adversity
Cryer dealt with a nagging foot injury during his sophomore season, which caused him to miss 15 games.
Still, he was impressive when he was on the court, making his first career start against Stanford.
In the following game against West Virginia, Cryer set a new career best with 25 points.
To finish the 2022 season, the Bears tied with the Kansas Jayhawks with a 14-4 conference record to claim a share of the Big 12 conference title.
National recognition
In the 2023 season, the Bears fell short of three straight conference titles, finishing fourth with an 11-7 record.
However, Cryer made a considerable jump in almost every aspect of his game.
An improved jump shot and more playing time allowed Cryer to be recognized nationally.
The third-year guard also earned several accolades, including Big 12 Player of the Week twice, All-Big 12 Third Team and the 2023 NBWA All-District Team.
He averaged 13.5 points, 1.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game and ranked third nationally with a 46.8% 3-point percentage.
A New Chapter
For the 2024 season, Cryer transferred to Houston to further develop his game.
“I knew when I got here, I would be pushed to be more of a leader and be better defensively,” Cryer said. “Now winning back-to-back Big 12 conferences, I feel like I made the right choice.”
Cryer stepped in and became Houston’s top-scoring option.
In his first year as a Cougar, he averaged 15.5 points and led the Big 12 with almost three 3-pointers made per game.
UH finished with a 15-3 conference record and claimed first place in the Big 12 in their first season.
Houston fell short of its ultimate goal of winning an NCAA National Championship, losing 54-51 to Duke in the Sweet 16.
Embracing leadership
Many players felt there was more to be accomplished at Houston and were ready to “Run it Back.”
With the loss of former guard Jamal Shead, Cryer now had a more prominent role as a player.
“L.J. had to get out of his comfort zone,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “When he stepped up and became the leader, I can’t tell you how proud I am of him.”
Cryer has been the leader Sampson needed in the 2025 season.
He is averaging 14.8 points, 2.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game and has flourished into court general.
The fifth-year guard has evolved his game and shares the point guard role with junior guard Milos Uzan, who is the primary ball handler.
With this responsibility, Cryer has distributed the ball more and has several teammates around him who are talented scorers.
Although his season average in points has slightly decreased, Cryer can flip a switch and score at will when needed.
In the matchup against No. 8 Iowa State, the team needed Cryer to step up and lead the team on one of the biggest stages of the season, with College GameDay coming to Houston.
Cryer did just that, slicing the Cyclones’ strong defense for 28 points on 64.7% shooting and making five 3-point jumpers.
He continued to shine in the victory against Cincinnati, scoring a game-high 20 points and sinking two 3-pointers to claim another outright Big 12 Conference title.
Cryer has won the Big 12 conference in four of the five years he has competed in Division I basketball.
“The four championships show his competitiveness,” redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp said. “He has winning DNA and is a big part of this team’s success.”
The Big 12 conference is no pushover, with three teams in the top 10 of the AP Poll and five teams in the top 25.
“Winning back-to-back Big 12 conferences shows we can compete with any team in the country,” graduate forward J’Wan Roberts said.
Cryer has been a cornerstone in Houston’s success and will play a crucial role in the NCAA tournament.
His message to his teammates is simple: embrace the moment and finish the fight.
“Keep taking pride in putting on the Houston jersey because we only have so many more games left wearing it,” Cryer said.
As his college career nears its end, the four-time Big 12 champ will need to take that same advice to lead UH to the ultimate goal of winning a national championship.
