College Basketball

Houston Basketball: LJ Cryer Falls Short Of Final Four History

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By
Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Published08 Apr 2025

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mbb lj cryer art final four final (1)

With the game tied at 21-all, Houston Cougars sparkplug L.J. Cryer shook off three earlier misses and connected on a 3-pointer a few feet from the Alamodome center-court logo. The effort sparked an 8-0 run, highlighted by a highlight dunk by Maylik Wilson. 

Known for his ball control and step-back jumpers, Cryer established himself as one of the team’s top offensive performers, shooting better than 40 percent from outside of the 3-point arc. 

Cryer had an opportunity to create Final Four history Monday night, but fell short as the Florida Gators rallied to secure a 65-63 victory, securing their first men’s basketball championship since 2007. 

Houston Cougars’ L.J. Cryer On Quest For 2nd Final Four Title 

A member of the title-winning Baylor Bears in 2021, Cryer stood to become the first player in NCAA history to capture national championships with two different programs. 

In San Antonio, Cryer certainly anticipated experiencing a different atmosphere from his first championship quest. The 2021 Final Four was played in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, low-lighted by constant testing, small in-game crowds and remaining sequestered at the Indianapolis hotel. 

Hours after helping the Cougars rally past the Duke Blue Devils in a national semifinal Saturday night, Cryer spoke with NBC Sports on what he expected to encounter facing Florida and the possibility of becoming a Final Four original. 

“That definitely would be special,” Cryer said. “You’ve got to go out there and take it from them, because at the end of the day, it’s not going to be given to us.” 

During his initial championship run, Cryer was a little-used freshman who played an insignificant role during the Bears’ win over Houston and future teammate J’Wan Roberts. Cryer compiled just eight minutes in three tournament outings. 

“I did get to sit there and see what it takes to win those type of games,” Cryer said.   

Joseph Tugler: ‘LJ Helps Us Through Hard Times’ 

After two more seasons with Baylor, Cryer transferred to Houston and established himself as a prime scoring option. The 6-foot-1 playmaker entered Monday averaging 15.6 points per game, fueled by a 30-point performance against Gonzaga in the second round and sparking Saturday’s rally over Duke with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. 

“Our best leader, so L.J. helps us get through hard times,” Houston forward Joseph Tugler said. “So I know (if) I got L.J., I’ve got nothing to worry about.” 

Cryer opened the second half Monday with a 3-pointer, but never appeared to get into the flow of the offense, like he did against the Blue Devils. He finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 11 3-point tries. 

He also made an unforced error when he stepped on the baseline and was called for an unforced turnover with 3:24 remaining and the Cougars leading 60-57. 

“It’s definitely cool to (try to) make history at two different schools, but if I could’ve done it at the same school, I’d have preferably done it that way,” Cryer said. “But my journey’s my journey.”