How Houston's LJ Cryer can be the first player to win 2 NCAA titles
LJ Cryer only played a bit role on the Baylor Bears' 2020-2021 team. But role players get championship rings too.
The four-star recruit was a true freshman that season, appearing in only 20 games and averaging 3.4 points per night. That left him to sit and watch stars like Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell lead the team to the best season in program history and the Bears' only men's national basketball title to date.
Cryer fulfilled his potential with more reps. By 2022-23 he was a full-time starter averaging 15.0 points per game and leading the Big 12 Conference in three-point percentage (.415). Despite Baylor's continued success, the 6-foot-1 guard struck out for a new challenge as a top 10 addition from the transfer portal.
The Houston Cougars offered the opportunity for another breakthrough. Like the Bears, Houston had a record of near-misses in the NCAA Tournament but no national championship banner hanging in its home gym. Cryer committed to head coach Kelvin Sampson in 2023 and continued to shoot the lights out with back-to-back All-Big-12 campaigns.
That's led the Cougars to the doorstep of a title following their thrilling comeback win over Duke in the Final Four. One more win puts Cryer in elite company. By beating the Florida Gators, he'd become the first player in NCAA history to win a national title with two different schools.
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