3. LJ Cryer (Houston)
After winning a national championship as a bench piece at Baylor, Cryer has carved out quite the career for himself. He was a much more important weapon the following two seasons with the Bears but opted to transfer following his junior season. Cryer wouldn’t leave the Big 12, finding a new home nearby at Houston and becoming a critical piece of the puzzle for the Cougars in their first year in a new league.
Cryer was expected to take on a big role at Houston and satisfied those expectations, averaging 15.5 points per game while making 38% of his 3-pointers. This marked his second straight season leading the Big 12 in 3-point shooting while earning Second Team All-Big 12 honors. Even more importantly, Cryer was the leading scorer on a Houston squad that won the Big 12 title and secured a top-seed in the Big Dance.
Cryer played an important role in that immediate success, with 20-point efforts in early wins over teams like Xavier, West Virginia, and BYU. He made six 3-pointers in February games against Kansas and Texas and later dropped 20 points on Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament semifinal and another 20 on Texas A&M in the Big Dance. While Houston’s season came undone in the Sweet Sixteen, it’s clear that Cryer fit well with the Cougars and his impact was clear.