Baylor Guard LJ Cryer ‘Looking For A Fresh Start’
On Wednesday morning, Baylor guard LJ Cryer officially entered the transfer portal, making him one of the hottest commodities in “college basketball free agency.”
The 6-1 guard out of Katy, Texas, is an elite scorer, and averaged 15.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists with the Bears this past season.
“I am looking for a fresh start,” Cryer told 247Sports. “My time at Baylor has been a lot of ups and downs. I feel like it is time for me to move on personally and I am just looking for a great fit that will let me play both guard positions.”
Now, Cryer will look to find a landing spot that gives him a bit more freedom to play both guard positions. During his time at Baylor, Cryer only played shooting guard but would like the opportunity to run some point as well.
“I do not want to play point guard full time but while I was in Waco I was not able to play point guard at all,” Cryer said. “I am looking to see what school will let me play some time at point guard. I realize I am lethal off the ball and I do not want to take that out of my game because I know it is one of my strengths that can help a team win. I know to get to that next level, I will have to be able to showcase what I can do on the ball.”
According to 247Sports, Cryer has been contacted by Arkansas, Central Florida, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, among others since hitting the portal on Wednesday.
The early favorite to land Cryer by our estimation? Kansas State. After all, it was Jerome Tang that recruited Cryer to Waco, and now, he gets the chance to do it again, with Manhattan as the destination.
“I know Coach Tang because he is the one who recruited me to Baylor,” Cryer told 247Sports. “I have a relationship with him and the Graduate Assistant who worked me out at Baylor is there too. Ulric Maligi recruited me while he was at Texas A&M. I have a relationship with them. I feel like they have a great opportunity. Coach Tang changed the culture around there. He is a great coach. They went to the Elite Eight and he lets his guys play with freedom. That is what I am looking for. They have a great fanbase and he is doing things the right way over there. I am for sure going to give them a fair chance to tell me what it is.”
Wherever he ends up, Cryer has up to two years of eligibility remaining, so there is still plenty of time for him to build a legacy for himself outside of Waco, Texas.
