LJ Cryer

American basketball player
LJ Cryer
No. 4 – Houston Cougars
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBig 12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-10-09) October 9, 2001 (age 22)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolMorton Ranch
(Katy, Texas)
College
Career highlights and awards

Lionel "LJ" Cryer Jr. (born October 9, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Houston Cougars of the Big 12 Conference.

High school career

Cryer played basketball for Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas.[1] As a junior, he averaged 27.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning District 19-6A MVP honors.[2] In the regular season finale of his senior season, Cryer had a 50-point, 10-assist game against Mayde Creek High School.[1] In his senior season, Cryer averaged 34.2 points, 5.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He finished with 3,488 career points, the most in Houston area public school history. Cryer was selected as All-Greater Houston Player of the Year by the Houston Chronicle, and repeated as District 19-6A MVP.[3][4] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Baylor over offers from Houston, Colorado, LSU, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin, among others.[2]

College career

Cryer received limited playing time as a freshman at Baylor, averaging 3.4 points per game as his team won the national championship.[5] On November 20, 2021, he scored 21 points in an 86–48 victory against Stanford.[6] On January 29, 2022, Cryer was ruled out after aggravating a right foot injury.[7] He averaged 13.5 points, 1.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game.[8] As a junior, Cryer was named to the Third Team All-Big 12.[9]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Baylor 20 0 10.0 .382 .364 .643 .6 .8 .5 .0 3.4
2021–22 Baylor 19 3 25.9 .476 .468 .778 1.5 1.7 .8 .1 13.5
2022–23 Baylor 31 31 32.3 .453 .415 .894 2.1 2.1 .5 .0 15.0
2023–24 Houston 37 37 32.1 .411 .388 .871 2.4 1.9 1.1 .1 15.5
Career 107 71 26.9 .434 .408 .844 1.8 1.7 .7 .1 12.7

Personal life

Cryer's father, Lionel Sr., played college football as a linebacker for Grambling State. His younger brother, Justin, played the same position at Royal High School in Brookshire, Texas, where his father served as defensive coordinator.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Silva II, Dennis (February 23, 2020). "One of a Kind". Katy Times. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Coleman, Adam (June 11, 2019). "Morton Ranch guard L.J. Cryer commits to Baylor". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  3. ^ Coleman, Adam (April 2, 2020). "All-Greater Houston boys basketball player of year: LJ Cryer". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Silva II, Dennis (March 15, 2020). "Morton Ranch's Cryer headlines all-district honorees". Katy Times. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Davis, Seth (October 15, 2021). "Baylor's path to back-to-back national championship exists, but a new set of stars will have to emerge". The Athletic. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  6. ^ "No. 9 Baylor runs away from Stanford in second half, wins 86–48". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Werner, John (January 29, 2022). "Alabama giant killers knock off Bears, 87-78". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "Baylor guard LJ Cryer to miss tournament's first weekend". Sportsnaut. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Flagler named first-team all-Big 12". Waco Tribune-Herald. March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Silva II, Dennis (August 23, 2021). "Justin Cryer ready for big year with Brookshire Royal". KPRC-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2021.

External links

  • Baylor Bears bio
  • v
  • t
  • e
Baylor Bears basketball 2020–21 NCAA champions
Head coach
Scott Drew