University of Houston Athletics
Men’s Basketball’s LJ Cryer Earns All-America Honors
3/12/2025 2:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Graduate guard named to The Sporting News All-America Third Team
HOUSTON – For the second straight season, University of Houston Men's Basketball guard LJ Cryer earned All-America honors after receiving Third Team recognition from The Sporting News on Friday.
The Katy, Texas, native has been one of the Cougars' most consistent leaders throughout the 2024-25 season and is one of only two student-athletes to start all 31 games to date.
Cryer joined the Cougars' 1,000-Point Club earlier this season and is poised to become only the third Cougar to record multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals, joining guards Robert McKiver and Corey Davis Jr.
He leads the Cougars with nine 20-point games this season, including each of the last three and four of the last five, 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.
The Morton Ranch High School product leads Houston and the Big 12 with a 43.1 3-point field goal percentage and falls just short of the league's and the nation's qualifying minimums with his 91.5 free throw percentage.
Earlier this week, Cryer was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team and was recognized as the Big 12 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work in the classroom. He received his bachelor's degree in integrated studies from Houston in May 2024 and is doing post-baccalaureate work in health with a 3.72 cumulative grade point average.
This marked the third consecutive season – and second with Houston – in which Cryer received All-Big 12 honors.
Cryer was named All-America Honorable Mention by the United States Basketball Writers Association following the 2023-24 season.
2024-25 THE SPORTING NEWS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
UP NEXT
• Houston takes its first steps in the postseason when it competes in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.,
• The Cougars will begin postseason play at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 13, against the winner from (8) West Virginia/ (16) Colorado.
• With a win Thursday, the Cougars advance to the Semifinals to face an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m., Friday, March 14.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN / ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Thursday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Thursday's game by clicking here.
BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
The Katy, Texas, native has been one of the Cougars' most consistent leaders throughout the 2024-25 season and is one of only two student-athletes to start all 31 games to date.
Cryer joined the Cougars' 1,000-Point Club earlier this season and is poised to become only the third Cougar to record multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals, joining guards Robert McKiver and Corey Davis Jr.
He leads the Cougars with nine 20-point games this season, including each of the last three and four of the last five, 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.
The Morton Ranch High School product leads Houston and the Big 12 with a 43.1 3-point field goal percentage and falls just short of the league's and the nation's qualifying minimums with his 91.5 free throw percentage.
Earlier this week, Cryer was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team and was recognized as the Big 12 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work in the classroom. He received his bachelor's degree in integrated studies from Houston in May 2024 and is doing post-baccalaureate work in health with a 3.72 cumulative grade point average.
This marked the third consecutive season – and second with Houston – in which Cryer received All-Big 12 honors.
Cryer was named All-America Honorable Mention by the United States Basketball Writers Association following the 2023-24 season.
2024-25 THE SPORTING NEWS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
First Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
| Johni Broome | F | Auburn |
| Walter Clayton | G | Florida |
| Cooper Flagg | F | Duke |
| Mark Sears | G | Alabama |
| Braden Smith | G | Purdue |
Second Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
| Eric Dixon | F | Villanova |
| PJ Haggerty | G | Memphis |
| Kam Jones | G | Marquette |
| John Tonje | F | Wisconsin |
| JT Toppin | G | Texas Tech |
Third Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
| LJ Cryer | G | Houston |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | C | Creighton |
| Chaz Lanier | G | Tennessee |
| RJ Luis | F | St. John's |
| Zakai Ziegler | G | Tennessee |
UP NEXT
• Houston takes its first steps in the postseason when it competes in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.,
• The Cougars will begin postseason play at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 13, against the winner from (8) West Virginia/ (16) Colorado.
• With a win Thursday, the Cougars advance to the Semifinals to face an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m., Friday, March 14.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN / ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Thursday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Thursday's game by clicking here.
BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
– UHCougars.com –
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