HOUSTON — The Houston Cougars dominated the American Athletic Conference under Kelvin Sampson the past three seasons, going 93-14 and earning a one seed last year while also making a Final 4 back in 2021.
If that isn't enough for fans to believe they are capable of competing in the Big 12 conference next year, adding high level Big 12 players to the roster ought to do it.
The Coogs secured a commitment from Baylor transfer guard LJ Cryer earlier this week, a huge addition to help shore up guard depth after losing Marcus Sasser to the NBA and Tramon Mark to the transfer portal and eventually the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Locked on Coogs host Parker Ainsworth believes Cryer is the perfect addition for Houston's new look backcourt, which also includes Temple transfer Damian Dunn. Cryer's 41% three point shooting is a huge part of what makes him such a valuable addition for Sampson's team.
"He's a super aggressive scorer," Ainsworth said. "He gets his 15 per game off attacking defenses. It all gets set up off his fantastic three point shot."
Cryer is a Houston native who is excited to play closer to his hometown, stating that is his primary reason for making this move.
Of course, Houston bumping up into the Big 12 starting next season absolutely helps, as it allows Cryer to stay at the same competition level while creating a fun rematch against Baylor during the regular season.
Baylor, Texas Tech, and TCU have all relied on the Houston area talent pool as a recruiting hotbed, but the Coogs are now on a level playing field and that could spell trouble for the rest of the conference - and college basketball as a whole.