Baylor basketball guard LJ Cryer will declare for the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, according to multiple sources.
“First off, I want to thank God for bringing me to Baylor and allowing me to play in front of great fans and incredible teammates,” LJ Cryer wrote in a Wednesday tweet. “I want to thank my family for believing in me and supporting me every step of the way.
“While it has been a dream to play college basketball at the highest level, I want to explore my options at the professional level as well. That said, I have decided to declare for the NBA draft while maintaining my eligibility.”
A former four-star recruit out of Morton Ranch high school in Katy, Texas, Cryer chose Baylor over offers from LSU, Purdue, Houston, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Texas and TCU, among others, when he enrolled to play with the Bears in 2020, according to 247Sports. LJ Cryer played an important scoring role for a Bears team that went 23-11 and 11-7 against conference opponents, becoming one of three players to score 15 points or more per game on Baylor's roster.
The veteran guard became a full-time starter in the 2022-23 season after starting in three games in his first two years. LJ Cryer's first year with Baylor saw the Bears win the NCAA men's basketball championship with a 16-point win over Gonzaga.
LJ Cryer scored 15 points in the opening round of the NCAA tournament against UC Santa Barbara, a game that saw Bears guard Langston Love play despite being listed as “questionable” three days before.
“It's a blessing whenever you win. Thank God for giving us an opportunity,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew. “Credit to our guys in the second half for making some adjustments and really dialing in defensively. It helps when you've got veteran guards in Adam (Flagler) and LJ (Cryer), and Caleb really gave us a great lift.”
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