Latest news with #LJCryer
San Francisco Chronicle
07-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Warriors' LJ Cryer is a name to know in the no-name summer league
Chances are, LJ Cryer will light up NBA summer play, make a nice impression, then disappear back into the vast sea of players scuffling for a check and a chance in the G League, in Europe, in Asia, in Parts Unknown. Still, it's fun to adopt a player every summer, keep on an eye on him, and Cryer is my guy. He lit up Chase Center on Sunday for the Golden State Warriors in the ambitiously named California Classic. The 6-1 guard from Houston led the Warriors with 19 points, hitting 5-of-7 3-pointers. After two games, Cryer is 7-for-10 from 3-land. The summer leagues, in San Francisco and then in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, are a chaotic and fascinating showcase. A few players have NBA roster spots locked up, by virtue of their elite draft status, but it's mostly a storm-tossed boatload of dreamers and desperados. There's a frantic aspect to the play. Too many guys on the rosters, so you have only a few minutes to show your stuff. No rebound goes uncontested. Full-court pressure is the norm. You're trying to impress scouts and coaches with your team play, yet you know the names of only two or three of your teammates. Every player has a story. Look, there's Bronny James, an ongoing magnet for fascination, scorn and sympathy with the Lakers. You wonder whether he would have had an easier time on his basketball journey if Mom and Dad had named him Fred. Look, there's another kid playing in dad's shadow, Jameer Nelson Jr. Dad played 14 NBA seasons, son went undrafted, played in the G League and in Canada. (Canada?) Look, there's Miami Heat second year center Kel'el Ware, who is a summer league god, the rare guy you'll see out here who started 36 games in the NBA last season and averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds. San Francisco's little four-team summer extravaganza features about 80 players, 75 of whom will soon continue their wandering in the global hoops wilderness. How to grab an NBA roster spot and avoid slipping back into that churning meat market? One way is to microwave some points, like my guy Cryer did Sunday. Not to get too deep into his story, because you might never read his name again, but Cryer played five seasons of college ball, the first three at Baylor and the last two at Houston. He scored a game-high 19 in the Cougars' NCAA title-game loss to Florida. For the season, he shot a Big 12-leading 42.4% from 3-land. Then he went undrafted. Maybe because he's too short at 6-1, and too old at 24, thus has a limited upside, it would seem. Ah, but in my short conversation with Cryer, I learn why he spent so many years in college. Bad feet! He had stress fracture problems that required four surgeries over the years, one involving a graft from his hip. He says his feet are all fixed, good to go. The foot woes had limited his offseason activity, preventing him from spending summers in pickup action with NBA players. So this level of play is new to Cryer, making his debut all the more intriguing. 'Cryer's pretty impressive,' said Lainn Wilson, the Warriors' summer league coach. 'Pretty tough player, obviously he can really get his shot off and really go on a heater a little bit. For this to be his first couple games of pro basketball, he's been really impressive.' Cryer didn't seem overwhelmed. 'It's a lot different from college, for sure,' he said. 'Lot faster, everybody out here in the summer pickin' up full-court, trying to cause havoc, trying to speed you up, (I) definitely gotta get used to it.' Quick adjuster. The Classic games were Cryer's first experience shooting behind the NBA arc, which is about a foot and a half deeper than the college line. No problem. In college, he said, he found that the farther behind the arc he shot, the more spacing he provided for teammates. I picture Cryer stepping into the Buddy Hield role of sniper off the bench. Cryer, potentially, has a deeper repertoire of shots than Hield, is more athletic, and likes to slash to the hoop and draw fouls. But right now it's all just theory and potential. Right now, Cryer can't carry Buddy's jock. Most likely, Cryer will be suiting up for G League affiliate Santa Cruz, coached by Wilson. 'I'm a big believer in being where your feet are,' Cryer said, 'so if that's with the Warriors, or the Santa Cruz Warriors, I'm gonna go out there and give my all. … Whenever you give your all, I feel like good things happen.' That's not what the odds say. Undrafted rookies just out of college seldom make the Warriors' roster. The short list includes Ky Bowman (2019), Kent Bazemore (2012), Jeremy Lin (2010), Anthony Morrow (2008) and John Starks (1998). But you never know. More so than ever, the NBA is a shooter's league, and the Warriors are a shooter's team in need of at least one more shooter, and Cryer can shoot. That's my case, that's my guy.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Warriors work out champion who shot 41.3 percent from 3-point land
The post Warriors work out champion who shot 41.3 percent from 3-point land appeared first on ClutchPoints. With the NBA Draft a little less than a month away, NBA teams have been conducting workouts for prospective draft prospects. With the draft combine having been completed last month, individual and group workouts will be the norm until the draft arrives. The Golden State Warriors recently conducted a workout ahead of the NBA Draft with former Houston guard LJ Cryer, as per Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine. Advertisement LJ Cryer has done pre-draft workouts with six NBA teams so far, including the Warriors, and he's hoping to shed some of the misconceptions about him. 'You kind of hear some teams might think you're too small,' Cryer said. 'I'm not a traditional point guard. But some teams like the way I shoot the ball and how competitive I am. I'm just taking it all in and just trying to get my foot in the door.' Cryer spent the last two seasons of his college basketball career at Houston after playing the first three seasons at Baylor. He was a strong three-point shooter in college, something that might interest the Warriors. During his final season at Houston, he shot 42.4 percent from three-point range. He shot 42 percent or better in three of his five college seasons with a career average of 41.3 percent. The Warriors currently have only one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft at No. 41 in the second round. Most current mock drafts have Cryer going undrafted. It's possible that the Warriors could select him at No. 41 if he impressed enough during their workouts. Or if he does go undrafted, he could catch on with an NBA team as an undrafted free agent and possibly on a two-way contract. Advertisement Last season, the Warriors also did not have a first-round pick. They used their second-round pick at No. 52 on Quinten Post. Post became a regular in the rotation and had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal before the NBA Playoffs. Related: Why Warriors' Brandin Podziemski doesn't want a Giannis Antetokoumpo trade Related: Warriors' Brandin Podziemski on getting 'Stephen Curry Green Light'
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Florida roar back to break Houston hearts and capture third NCAA title
The Gators looked cooked. Down 12. Their star scoreless. The crowd roaring for the hometown favorites. And yet, Florida found a way – erasing the deficit, quieting the red sea inside the Alamodome, and capturing the program's third NCAA men's basketball championship. Florida 65, Houston 63. The Gators trailed by double digits in the second half, and didn't lead again until the final minute – but it was enough. Alijah Martin calmly knocked down two free throws with 46.5 seconds left to give Florida a 64-63 edge, their first since 8-6. After a frantic final sequence, the Gators held on to win their first national title since 2007. It was a comeback born of grit, poise and the kind of big-moment performances that championships require. Florida trailed 42-30 with just under 16 minutes to play, reeling from an 11-2 Houston run that included two LJ Cryer threes and five personal fouls on the Gators in less than four minutes. But they responded with an eight-point burst in a 78-second blur to get within three, then tied it on a Walter Clayton Jr free throw at 48-all. Clayton, the All-American guard who had been held scoreless in the first half, never found his shooting rhythm – but became the engine of Florida's comeback in other ways. He finished with just 11 points – a far cry from his back-to-back 30-point outbursts against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and Auburn on Saturday night – but had seven assists and set up multiple easy baskets for Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh as the Gators clawed back. Will Richard carried the offense early, scoring 14 of his team-high 18 in the first half and keeping Florida afloat during a ragged opening stretch. Houston, seeking their first NCAA title in the program's 80-year history, led 31-28 at halftime and looked to be in control early in the second half with an estimated win percentage of more than 90% with 14 minutes left. Cryer finished with a game-high 19 points and Wilson added a spark off the bench with nine points, but the Cougars couldn't deliver the final blow. Despite the loss, this Final Four delivered everything. Both of Saturday's semi-finals went down to the wire, and Monday's final – with the score tied for the 12th time inside the last minute – capped one of the most thrilling Final Fours in recent memory. For Florida, the title is their third overall, joining the back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007. For Golden, just 39, it cements his place in history as the youngest coach to win a national title since North Carolina State's Jim Valvano – whose own stunning victory came at Houston's expense in 1983. Full report to follow.
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How Houston's LJ Cryer can be the first player to win 2 NCAA titles
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.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
BetMGM Bonus Code WIREBG150 Snags $150 in Bonus Bets for NCAA Men's Final, Masters & More
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