Texas Tech’s JT Toppin Won Player of the Year, But Houston’s LJ Cryer Is the Big 12’s Clear Competitive King — With a Dash Of Barry Sanders

Trying to stay with LJ Cryer on the basketball court can be like attempted to snare a water moccasin speeding through a swamp with your bare hands. Good luck with that. “He’s got a little Barry Sanders in him,” University of Houston assistant coach Kellen Sampson tells PaperCity of Cryer. “He jukes. He dodges. He dives.

“LJ’s ability to start and stop and find his windows for his scoring opportunities. He’s unique because of his gifts.”

Kellen Sampson comparing LJ Cryer’s movement to Barry Sanders, the greatest running back of all time (sorry Emmitt Smith backers, it’s no debate), is fitting. For just like Sanders did, Cryer often leaves defenders grasping at air, wondering where the heck he went. Baylor coach Scott Drew left Houston’s 19th Big 12 win lamenting how his guys lost Cryer on several possessions that proved to be critical in killing the Bears’ upset chances.

That’s LJ Cryer. He tilts winning even when you lose track of him. Maybe especially when you lose track of him.

There are flashier players in the Big 12. There are players who pile up gaudier stats. There are much surer NBA prospects. But in the view of the Houston coaches who are around Cryer every day, this 6-foot-1 guard is the most impactful player in the conference.

“He’s the most competitive guy in the league,” Kellen Sampson says. “Night in night out, 20 games, 10 consecutive weeks, two games a week for a guy that may not be the biggest. And for him to be playing his best basketball at the end of the grind.

“Whether he (won Big 12) Player of the Year or not, he’s the most competitive player in the league.”

Texas Tech big man JT Toppin, he of the gaudy seven games with 24 or more points, ends up winning Big 12 Player of the Year in the conference coaches’ vote. Cryer plays in all 31 of Houston’s game (27 of them wins) while Toppin plays in 27 of Texas Tech’s and averages six minutes per game less than the 32.1 per game Cryer logs. UH (19-1, including a major conference record 10-0 mark on the road) wins the league by four full games over Toppin’s Red Raiders too.

“L is one of the most consistent players in the country,” Houston point guard Milos Uzan tells PaperCity. “His numbers show it. Even in practice he’s super consistent. I just think that’s who he is.”

Mr. Consistency, the guy who always answers the bell for this team, will settle for being All Big 12 First Team with his teammate J’Wan Roberts. Uzan, the point guard who took the reins from the incomparable Jamal Shead, earns All Big 12 Second Team honors in his first season after transferring in from Oklahoma. Houston’s unicorn game changer JoJo Tugler wins Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in his first season after returning from a broken foot. Kelvin Sampson repeats as Big 12 Coach of the Year, making him two for two in Houston’s first two years in the power conference Big 12.

But Cryer playing his best basketball as UH starts the March Madness season is the most powering win of all. Cryer seems to be getting stronger as the season goes on, like an elite marathon runner who trained himself for a great finishing kick. He’s scored 20 points or more in four of the Cougars’ last five games heading into UH’s Big 12 conference tournament opener Thursday (2 pm, ESPN) in Kansas City. He’s shooting so well from three (up to 43.1 percent for the season, a career high) that no one even mentions that he’s playing through a painful knuckle injury on his shooting hand anymore.

“I feel like I always play my best ball around this time,” Cryer says. “I guess it’s because it’s March. You start seeing the end. I feel like it’s the right time to be playing this type of ball.”

Cryer’s type of ball, moving more constantly than a kid in a bounce house, cutting here — no there! — is exhausting if you’re not in world class shape. But it’s the way you can dominate in a game of giants at 6-foot-1.

“I feel like it’s a little unique,” Cryer tells PaperCity. “But it works for me and I don’t try and go out there and be anybody else. I’ve got to continue to be myself. It’s very important. With being a smaller guard, you’ve got to have a lot of movement. And you’ve got to be in condition and enough shape to be able to sustain that for 40 minutes.

“I feel it’s vital for me, especially at my size.”

“He’s the most competitive guy in the league. Night in night out, 20 games, 10 consecutive weeks, two games a week for a guy that may not be the biggest. And for him to be playing his best basketball at the end of the grind.” — UH assistant coach Kellen Sampson on LJ Cryer

LJ Cryer, Competitive Fanatic

This is player who takes note of every slight. Disrespect LJ Cryer and he’ll file it away for use later. Every little bit of motivation helps. You don’t become the Big 12’s Ring Master — a four-time Big 12 champion (twice at Baylor, twice at Houston) — by letting things go.

The guy who thinks he can beat his teammates at any other sport or game you could think of — and often does — is more than aware that the other coaches in the Big 12 think someone is a better player than him. LJ Cryer’s already filed that away. Just some more fuel.

“He’s got awesome self awareness,” Kellen Sampson says. “And he’s got awesome awareness. Nobody’s more more in-tuned with the sports world than L. Across any path, L’s locked in. Whether it’s boxing, football, basketball, baseball. Not only does he know about it, he’s got a really strong opinion on it all.

“So he has an innate awareness of everybody in our league. Whenever you’re going through a scout, there’s very rarely something that L doesn’t know about somebody. And that’s what makes him great. His care factor and his intention and focus, his maturity about the process of competing, is something to marvel at.”

“I feel like I always play my best ball around this time. I guess it’s because it’s March. You start seeing the end.” — UH guard LJ Cryer

Cryer shares a moment with Baylor coach Scott Drew in the handshake line after UH’s latest win, poses for pictures with family and friends in the lobby of Foster Pavilion, the $212 million arena on the campus Cryer called home for three years before transferring to Sampson’s Houston program. He wears a black Terry Black’s Barbecue Waco hat crooked on his head. And a satisfied look for the first time all night.

Cryer dropped 23 points on his former school, hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers. He tells Drew, his old coach, it was a fun night. But it’s not so fun for Baylor. It turns out booing LJ Cryer isn’t much of a thrill when he’s raining buckets on you.

“I feel like last year I handled it OK,” Cryer tells PaperCity of the Baylor fan booing. “So this year I wanted to handle it a lot better.”

LJ Cryer is always pushing himself to do something better. Standing still isn’t in his vocabulary. And he knows how to move in March.