- Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin had a ferocious slam dunk in the team’s Final Four win over Auburn.
- Martin, who suffered a heartbreaking Final Four loss two years ago while playing for FAU, said it was “super satisfying” to create a new memory on the sport’s biggest stage.
- Houston guard LJ Cryer, who won a national championship with Baylor in 2021, also played a key role in his team’s Final Four win over Duke.
SAN ANTONIO – A day later, the Alamodome still shook thanks to Alijah Martin.
No, not literally, but in the eyes of Florida basketball fans, it roared all night.
The Gators’ guard powered home a ferocious slam dunk in the second half of UF’s 79-73 Final Four win over Auburn to advance to the NCAA Final Monday night vs. Houston.
For Martin, that slam and the emphatic nature behind it served as a metaphor of sorts. Two years ago, he suffered one of the more recent heartbreaking Final Four losses – a buzzer-beater to San Diego State while at FAU.
Alijah Martin’s new memory
Martin called it “super satisfying” to create a new moment on the sport’s biggest stage.
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“The way we lost, I hate being remembered by that,” he said. “Creates new memories and have something else to look forward to when you when you think about the Final Four.”
Motivation isn’t hard to come by in the Final Four, but freshman Isaiah Brown said Martin’s loss added some extra for the team.
“We all, as a team, came together and we all knew that, as a team, we want this for us, but especially for Martin, knowing that he lost so tragically, lost two years ago with FAU,” Brown said.
Coach Todd Golden spoke in a similar manner. He said Martin has provided a level of toughness and maturity that younger players are almost forced to emulate.
“Just works with great urgency on a daily basis. His leadership, along with (Walter Clayton Jr), has carried us all year, and raised the bar in terms of what the expectation is for the younger guys, and they have no choice but to meet it,” Golden said.
That mentality shined through in the first half Saturday. While much of the praise went to Walter Clayton Jr., Martin, too, provided 10 points to help counter Auburn’s punches.
LJ Cryer offers similar experience
Sunday, much of the attention shifted to a Cougar who offers similar experience to Martin: LJ Cryer.
Like Martin, Cryer advanced to a Final Four before this season. That came in the redshirt senior’s first year of college, when at Baylor, Cryer’s Bears won the national championship over Gonzaga.
Golden likened the two Sunday.
“I was watching Scott Drew talk about L.J. on GameDay yesterday,” Golden said. “He had great things to say about him in that he wished he was still in a Baylor jersey. That’s a pretty big compliment to receive from a coach.”
Cryer’s role on the Baylor team was different. A New Orleans native and third-team All-American, Cryer played just 20 games after Baylor began recruiting him in eighth grade. Still, he gained valuable experience playing for a championship coach like Drew for three years until he transferred to Houston, especially emotionally.
“I cried in his office when things were tough. I definitely got a lot of respect for him and a lot of love for him,” Cryer said of Drew. “Sometimes opening up to people is hard, and I feel like I got to a point where I was able to do that with him.”
Martin offered similar emotional praise for his FAU coach and current Michigan coach Dusty May, saying the former Florida assistant ensured him he made the right decision to focus on basketball over football.
“I just stuck with the process and trusted the coaches,” Martin said. “The player development there is just unmatched. Coach May did a really good job just teaching me how to play basketball, did an unbelievable job coaching me.”
Regardless of Cryer’s experience, he can flat-out play. He averages a team-high 15.6 points per game, and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson admitted Cryer kept the Cougars in their Final Four game vs. Duke.
“He’s an incredible offensive player, and we have to do a good job on him early and often to give ourselves a chance tomorrow night,” Golden said. “His experience, I’m sure, is helping them along their journey, as well.”
Tipoff between the Gators and Cougars is set for 8:50 p.m. ET.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.
