Houston’s LJ Cryer falls short in bid to win NCAA titles at 2 schools in finale vs. Florida

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LJ Cryer knows the thrill that comes only with winning a national championship from his time as a spot-duty freshman at Baylor.

His shot at history with a second title fell just short as Houston lost to Florida, 65-63, in Monday night’s NCAA championship game.

Cryer was playing his fifth college season as the leading scorer for Houston. A win would have made Cryer the first player to win titles at two schools, though this time without the COVID-19 backdrop of 2021.

Cryer is one of three players to take the court on college basketball’s biggest stage at the Alamodome with Final Four experience from another school. Duke’s Mason Gillis was one after helping Purdue reach last year’s NCAA final, while Florida guard Alijah Martin was part of Florida Atlantic’s semifinalist in 2023.

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But Cryer’s Bears actually hoisted the trophy, a path that included a Final Four rout of Houston and future teammate J’Wan Roberts. The only downer was the fact he played just eight minutes through three NCAA games, two coming against the Cougars and then one with victory assured in the finale against Gonzaga.

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

The 6-foot-1 senior went on to play two more seasons at Baylor before moving to Houston, a Lone Star State transfer with Cryer looking for a different fit and offensive role.

Averaging a team-best 15.6 points, Cryer has come through with two big performances in the NCAA Tournament so far, first with 30 points in a tight second-round battle against Gonzaga. Then came Saturday’s win over the Blue Devils, with Cryer scoring 26 points and hitting six 3-pointers — with several of those coming as Houston tried desperately to hang around.

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

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said the Cougars recruited Cryer as an instate prospect out of Katy, describing him as a “bucket-getter in high school” who had thrived despite being a small guard. Perhaps that had him prepared to test a Duke team that had every player in its primary rotation standing 6-5 or taller, too.

“Our best player, the guy that kept us in the game, was LJ,” Sampson said. “He kept us in touch with them. So when the time came, we had an opportunity to get the lead down where we could put some game pressure on them. LJ was the guy.”

Regardless of the outcome, Cryer at least got the full experience of playing for the national championship. That 2021 run came amid constant COVID-19 testing, limited crowds and hotel sequestration — leaving Sampson to say Thursday anyone in that Indianapolis bubble “got cheated out of the experience.”

“We had to stand in line to get tested before every time we went outside the building to come in,” Sampson said. “It felt like we were going out to the yard in prison because they took us over to (a minor-league baseball stadium) to let us run around on the grass.

“Somebody had the great idea of: ‘Go get a football or horseshoes or something.’ What do you want us to do? Look around and see how we can break out of this place? That was a different time.”

Cryer recalls those days well.

“We stayed in that one spot the whole time in that hotel,” he said. “We weren’t able to go outside but for like 30 minutes. We had kind of like recess time. It was a way different, an experience for sure.”

Everything was different this time, down to Cryer’s leading role as he finished with 19 points against the Gators. It seems likely others will have the chance to accomplish the feat in a time of freer player movement through the transfer portal.

“If someone else wins, I would hope they stay,” Cryer said with a chuckle. “I hope they stay at the school. I don’t wish anyone to transfer to go win a ring. Hopefully they can stick it out and go win it wherever they’re at. It’s definitely cool 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. But my journey’s my journey.”

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