Men’s Basketball, Guard LJ Cryer Earn NABC Academic Honors

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Men's Basketball program and guard LJ Cryer received recognition for their academic achievements from the National Association of Basketball Coaches during the 2024-25 season, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Thursday.

With a team cumulative grade-point average higher than 3.0, Houston received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award. The Cougars were one of 400 schools from across all levels of college basketball to receive that accolade.

Cryer was named to the NABC Honors Court after posting a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher while doing post-baccalaureate work in health.

This marked the third straight season in which a Cougar was named to the NABC Honors Court. Guard Ryan Elvin was honored following the 2023-24 season and was joined on the 2022-23 Honors Court by center Darius Bowser.

ABOUT LJ CRYER
Cryer was one of the Cougars' most consistent leaders throughout the 2024-25 season. He was one of only two student-athletes to start all 40 games to set a school single-season record and led Houston with 15.7 points and 3.1 3-point field goals per game.

He received his bachelor's degree in integrated studies from Houston in May 2024 and completed post-baccalaureate work in health during this most recent season.

This was only the latest academic honor that Cryer earned. He was named to the Winter Big 12 All-Academic Team and received the FAR Academic Excellence Award for earning a cumulative GPA of 3.80 or higher while participating for multiple seasons at a Football Bowl Subdivision school.

LJ Cryer, NABC Honors Court

For his impressive accomplishments, Cryer was honored as the Big 12 Conference's Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On the court, the Katy, Texas, native joined the Cougars' 1,000-Point Club and became only the third Cougar to record multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals, joining guards Robert McKiver and Corey Davis Jr.

Cryer led the Cougars with 12 20-point games in 2024-25, and tied his career high with 30 points against Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas on Nov. 26, 2024.

He topped Houston and the Big 12 with a 42.4 3-point field goal percentage and fell just short of the league's and the nation's qualifying minimums with his 89.5 free throw percentage.

Cryer was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team and was an All-America Third-Team selection by United States Basketball Writers Association, NABC, Associated Press.

He continued his stellar play in the postseason, earning All-Tournament Team honors for the NCAA Final Four, NCAA Midwest Regional and Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Cryer also was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team and the NABC All-Gulf District First Team.

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